Pools of Torment
by Time's mortal enemy
Summary: It's been said that acceptance is the first step toward recovery. It seems as though a certain character would like nothing more that to prove that wrong. Sequal to Dead Souls. Current Chapter Weddings. COMPLETED TBC CxH, OCxOC
1. The decision

Pools of Torment  
  
I'm back and I'm better than ever! Actually, I really am. See, the idea for the concluding story to Dead Souls hit me while I was taking a shower. That happens to be where most of my brilliant ideas find me. So anyway, I'm standing in the shower, and this lightning bolt hits me out of the blue and I get a flash of inspiration. What follows is the direct result of this undocumented phenomenon.  
  
For HIS glory ALWAYS; Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own Spirited Away. I own the general plot, as well as the following characters: Jumari, Knoma, Link, Nami, and the dark tower. The character Aki belongs to my sister, and is her spirit equivalent. These are the only things so far that I do truly own from my story.  
  
~*~  
  
"I HAVE REACHED A DECISION."  
  
The two boys just stood there, unsure as to what kind of reaction would be appropriate for the situation. Thankfully, Jumari saved them from having to comment by continuing.  
  
"I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DELAY HAS MADE YOU ANXIOUS, SO I'LL NOT BOTHER YOU WITH THE DETAILS OF MY DECISION MAKING."  
  
They looked at each other, then back at the throne.  
  
"IT IS THE DECISION OF OUR PERSON THAT THE HUMAN KNOWN AS CHIHIRO SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE SPIRIT WORLD AS LONG AS THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US AND LINK REMAINS UNBROKEN. THE HUMAN LINK WILL BE TORTURED FOR TWO HOURS OF EVERY DAY UNTIL THE END OF TIME. THE REST OF THE TIME MAY BE SPENT AS HE WISHES, ON THE CONDITION THAT HE NEVER AGAIN LEAVES THE LANDS THAT ARE ENCOMPASSED BY THE GREAT WALL SURROUNDING THE TOWER. IF AT ANY TIME HE SHOULD TRY TO VIOLATE THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT, THE HUMAN CHIHIRO MUST INSTANTLY RETURN TO THE MORTAL WORLD, NEVER AGAIN TO ENTER AND SEE HER TRUE LOVE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE DECLARED?"  
  
Haku sent a quick glance at Link, who seemed to be both elated and desolated at the same time.  
  
"I do agree to the decision that this court has made regarding the terms of my request. I am willing to do as they wish; that their end of the bargain be upheld. I thank the queen for accepting my request, and I acknowledge that I am deeply in her debt."  
  
Jumari seemed to have enjoyed this discourse, as well as Link's clear distress. She turned to strange looking spirits that seemed to be serving as guards.  
  
"TAKE THE HUMAN INTO CUSTODY. AS OF THIS MOMENT, HE IS A PRISONER HERE, AND NO LONGER A GUEST. PROCEDE TO TAKE HIM DOWN TO THE DUNGEONS."  
  
Though Haku and Link had no way of knowing this, she was really very distressed over having to keep up pretences in front of her court. She had grown rather fond of the human, and as a result had pushed the day of her announcement back further and further so as to allow her to observe him, to get to know his likes and dislikes. She resolved to have him released from the dungeons as soon as possible, and see to it that he was made more comfortable.  
  
Knoma turned and guided a shell-shocked Haku back out of the audience chamber, to the elevator, and down to the room that he and Link had shared during the time that they had spent awaiting a decision.  
  
"I'll leave you alone for a while. I must go and attend to Link." Knoma turned and walked out of the door.  
  
Haku sat down heavily in one of the chairs next to the table, in shock.  
  
{He actually went through with it. I really didn't think that he would. We spent so much time together. In this last month, we had only each other to keep company, not including Knoma, of course. I thought that he wouldn't really do it. He didn't seem like the type that would. What on earth am I going to tell Chihiro? Can I really leave him behind? Will Chihiro ever accept the truth about why she can live here in the spirit world?}  
  
He was lost in thought, and after a moment, he got up and went out to the balcony. Off in the distance, he could see the opening of the pass between two of the three mountains, the same two that he and Link had come through while following the stag only a month before. How long ago and far away that all seemed. He wondered, for the first time, if he would ever really be comfortable with Chihiro after all of this. It could be said that this was his darkest moment, darker even when he had first realized that he and Chihiro could never really be together.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro and Nami were still on the train, heading north. They had been on it for almost three days now, and had had several meals and plenty of sleep. Nami spent most of the time in her lap, keeping out of the way of the numerous spirits that were constantly getting on and off. There seemed to be a much steadier stream of passengers, when compared with the number that had been on during her first train ride.  
  
"Do you think that we're almost there?" Chihiro looked down at Nami, who lifted his head so that he could look at her.  
  
"Depends. What stop are we at?"  
  
"The sign says stop 305N"  
  
"Well, then I'd say we've got five more stops left. The train only goes up to 310 (a/n- it's that number for a reason (), and that's without the north or south indicator on it. See, the stops going north are marked with an 'n', and the stops going south are marked with an 's'. At the peak, there's no letter indicator, since your really going both ways."  
  
"I see," said Chihiro, not really seeing at all.  
  
Nami began to go back to sleep, but Chihiro moved her leg, jostling him.  
  
"Stop that!"  
  
"Come on, get off. My leg is falling asleep."  
  
"I don't want to. Your lap is so comfortable, I feel as though I could sleep in it for days."  
  
"You already have. Once we get to the last stop, how do we go about finding Jumari's tower?"  
  
"I have a friend, this eagle spirit, who will gladly take us there. He should be waiting for us right at the stop, and if he's not, then we just have to wait for a little while until he gets there. Now, leave me alone. I want to get what little rest I still can."  
  
"An eagle could never carry me!"  
  
"You forget that you're in the spirit world. The eagles here are much bigger than the birds that you've got back in your world."  
  
"How do you know that?" Chihiro wasn't sure that she wanted to be trusting him THAT completely yet.  
  
"Trust me. He's carried me in my human form before. He should have absolutely no trouble carrying you, and I'm going to stay in my fox from for the duration of the flight. My guess is that he's going to carry me in his claws."  
  
"Won't you be scared? I mean, you've no way of knowing if he'll drop you."  
  
"He saved my life once. I've no doubt that he'll keep me safe.  
  
"Your something, you know that?"  
  
"Why, thank you." (twinkle) He proceeded to lower his head again and fell back asleep.  
  
*~*  
  
"Psst, Nami! Wake up, we're here!" Chihiro shook his shoulder (a/n- is there some kind of scientific term for a fox's shoulder that I'm missing here?) as she whispered urgently in his ear.  
  
"We're here?" He looked up at her sleepily, then proceeded to bound off of her lap and stretch out on the floor of the train. After accomplishing this, he raced out of the train and onto the platform that made up the tiny station. Waiting for them at the end was an enormous eagle, standing nearly ten feet tall.  
  
"Good. You made it." Chihiro found that she wasn't the least bit surprised upon finding that he could talk. She was, after all, in the spirit world, and she had seen many things that were far stranger than a talking eagle.  
  
"Chihiro, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. His name is Aki, and, as I've already told you, he saved my life once."  
  
"Really, you've got to stop beating yourself up about that. It really wasn't your fault. There was no way for you to know that the kid was really a very powerful sorcerer." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke, his beak making clacking noises. "All right, Chihiro, if you would be so kind as to get yourself up on my back. There you go, now, Nami, come here. I'm going to hold you in my claws. Hold on tight, Chihiro. We've got a long ways to go, and much of it is through unfriendly territory. I don't doubt that Jumari will send some of her crows out to meet us before we get to the tower. We'll just have to be careful and fly under the radar."  
  
He stretched out his huge, powerful wings, and, flapping them mightily, got himself off the ground and into the air.  
  
*~*  
  
Knoma continued to head downward, deeper and deeper into the very bowels of the tower. It was down here that Jumari kept all the prisoners she took, which wasn't often, as well as the permanent garrison for the invisible spirits that served as the guards. Haku and Link never realized it, but they had been watched by these invisible agents from the moment they had entered the gate a month ago.  
  
The quarters that Link was being in were poor, to say the least, but Jumari had insisted that they be kept this way until all of her guests had taken their leave, which wouldn't be until after the first session of torture.  
  
That was where he was heading now. Knoma was on his way to direct the first session, which, in accordance with the agreement made by Jumari would last two hours. Knoma felt sorry for Link, knowing that to him it would seem more like two weeks. The torture would be of the most painful kind possible, but still easy enough that it would not drive him insane.  
  
Those had been Jumari's orders: hurt him, but don't drive him mad.  
  
He had the feeling that the lust that she felt for him was being replaced by something akin to love for this newcomer. It could be seen in her eyes every time that she looked at his face. In recent days, he had even seen something there that he had never seen before.  
  
Pity.  
  
It was clear to him that she pitied Link, even though she would never go so far as to admit in front of anyone.  
  
The idea actually scared him. It proved that Jumari DID have a heart beneath those seemingly impenetrable emotional walls. A heart was a dangerous thing to have when you're in a position of power. Those who would steal your power away from you would use your emotions in any way possible to get you to buckle. If you had emotion, then you could be manipulated, and eventually stabbed in the back by someone you assumed was your friend. That was something that Knoma absolutely could NOT let come about, for his entire well being revolved around her remaining in power.  
  
This would require some thought, and much careful attention.  
  
a/n- how did you like that chapter? Please, tell me what you think, so that I can know how to make it better.  
  
I will keep writing, however, whether you review or not. If this chapter didn't make much sense, then I would have to suggest that you go ahead and read the prequel.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri 


	2. The torture, the arrival

Well, I'm now ready to make the next installment on my continuation of Dead Souls. I'm guessing that this chapter will be one of the last, if not THE last. I'm not the least bit upset that I haven't gotten many reviews, in the end, all that matters is that I was able to get up the guts to write for the benefit of other freaks like me. I have enjoyed writing this story more than anything else that I've ever written, including my novel, which was much more tiresome. I hope that those of you who have been reading this story are enjoying it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Stay well, and keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas, as well as the holiday spirit.  
  
As Tiny Tim so aptly put: God bless us, everyone!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be scrambling for money to buy Christmas gifts with, now would I? No, I do not own Spirited Away. This is a FAN FIC, and being a fan of your own work is kind of weird.  
  
*~*  
  
*Hello*- sounds (Hello)- author's notes {Hello}- thoughts "Hello"- speaking "HELLO"- commanding/loud voice  
  
*~*  
  
*CRACK*  
  
With a loud snap, the whip fell upon the shoulders of the limp figure, drawing yet another streak of fiery red along the already raw and bleeding back.  
  
*CRACK*  
  
Again the whip fell upon the boy's shoulders, yet he made no sound, despite the intense pain. All around him, he could here the whistles and roars of the crowd that circled him, watching with glee as the whip rose and fell upon his bare shoulders.  
  
He had been hoisted up by his wrists, hanging there, his torn back dripping blood onto the already stained flagstones. Even as he braced himself for another impact of the whip, a voice rang out from the other side of the room.  
  
"ENOUGH." The voice was commanding, and everyone in the room hesitated when it rang out. "UNBIND HIM AND TAKE HIM BACK TO HIS CELL. THAT WILL BE ALL. YOU ARE DISMISSED."  
  
The guards proceeded to lower him down to the ground, paying no attention to his wounds. The figure of a boy stooped over him.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to have to be the one to do this to you. If it were up to me, this wouldn't be happening at all." He paid no attention to the voice, however. He merely shrank away from the hands that were pulling him roughly to his feet. He could not stand on his own, the pain from his wounds was far too great, and this was only the first of many torture sessions that he had to live through. He knew that he wasn't going to survive an eternity of this with his sanity in tact.  
  
They took him back to his cell and dumped him unceremoniously onto the floor, not even bothering to put him on the lumpy cot that constituted his bed. He rolled over off his back, hoping to relieve the pain. He knew that if he stayed on his back, it would stick to the floor and make moving that much more painful.  
  
"Bastards."  
  
"I know what you mean."  
  
Startled, he tried to hoist himself to his feet, but instead let out a cry of agony and dropped back onto his stomach. Looking around, he saw the familiar figure of a young woman standing in one corner.  
  
"I didn't mean for them to hurt you that badly. I told Knoma to take it easy with the whip, but he must have realized that by doing that he would be attracting unnecessary attention to each stroke."  
  
"Why should you care?" The boy's voice was flat and emotionless.  
  
"I don't," she said simply. He did not believe her however, and that only made him all the angrier at her.  
  
"You couldn't care less if I died. In fact, it would probably make you happy, because it would mean that you could stop keeping your end of the bargain."  
  
"Thinking about going back on it, are you?"  
  
"Never." The tone of the boy's voice was final this time, and he rolled over onto his side so that he was facing away from her, which signaled the end of the conversation.  
  
"I'm going to have my healer look after those wounds. We wouldn't want for them to become infected, now would we? I have a different torture in mind for tomorrow. I'm sure that you can't wait." She turned and walked out of the cell, her footsteps receding as she headed back up the stairs.  
  
"Bitch." He began to crawl toward his bed, but before he could reach it he passed out.  
  
*~*  
  
"We're here." The eagle began his decent, and Chihiro rubbed her eyes sleepily. It was late, probably past midnight, and the moon was full above them. She looked forward and saw a massive tower off in the distance.  
  
"Is that the tower?" she asked.  
  
"Indeed it is." This time it was Nami who spoke. The eagle was almost on the ground now, and before he landed he released Nami so as not to crush him upon touching the ground. Once safely down, Chihiro slid off his back and bowed low to him.  
  
"Thank you, Aki, for rendering us such an invaluable service. You flew magnificently, and the way that you outwitted those birds was ingenious."  
  
There was a twinkle in his eye as he accepted the praise graciously, then made ready to take off once again.  
  
"I wish you all luck on your mission, Chihiro, and hope that you one day find where your heart belongs." With those words, he jumped onto the wind and soared away.  
  
"He's quite a character, that Aki." Chihiro looked at Nami. "Are you ready?"  
  
He shimmered, then seemed to spring upward until in the place of the fox was a human boy.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be."  
  
They proceeded on to the gate, but when they reached it, Nami threw out an arm to stop her.  
  
"There's an evil spell laid on these gates. Unless you can break it, I wouldn't suggest that we try to force our way through."  
  
"What do I do?"  
  
"First, summon your power."  
  
Chihiro removed her hair tie and formed a triangle with it using her first, second, and third fingers. She concentrated completely on her love for her friends, but mainly on her love for Haku, and shut her eyes as a small whirlwind of air and light gathered around her.  
  
"Now, take the hand with the tie and PUSH."  
  
She did so, and there was a mighty blast of wind and light that left her and rammed into the gate. For a moment, Nami could see a dark shadow illuminated, but then it dissipated.  
  
"Excellent! You did it!" He took hold of the handle and pushed the door open, noticing that the writing that had been on the door had vanished along with the shadow.  
  
They proceeded on to the tower, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but they both knew that if Jumari hadn't already known of their presence, she sure as heck knew now. The commotion that they had made at the gate was too great for her to ignore.  
  
The door opened on its own accord and admitted them in. They found themselves standing in a massive hallway, at the end of which was a simple yet elegant elevator.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Chihiro whispered to Nami.  
  
"We find Haku first. He's bound to be around here somewhere." Nami looked at the elevator. "Let's not try that until we absolutely have to."  
  
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed on the stairway to their right. They wheeled around.  
  
*~*  
  
Hee hee hee. I just love ending in a cliff hanger. Their so much fun to write, and they leave readers wanting to read more. I guess you could say that I'm evil. Well, until next time then! 


	3. The meeting

Well, I'm back yet again. That's right. I just can't leave you guys alone, can I?  
  
Hah! I enjoy bugging you, and it's clear that I am, because no one has reviewed either the first story OR the continuation! Not that I care or anything, I would just enjoy a review or two. You know, carry me out of the depression I'm sinking into while listening to Evanescence's My Immortal.  
  
When you'd cry I wipe away your tears  
  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all your fears  
  
And I held your hand through all these years  
  
Just an absolutely brilliant song. She truly is a talented artist, and I just love the way her voice sounds. Of course, there's nothing remotely Christian about her music, but no matter.  
  
So anyway, I had a lot of down time tonight, so I decided to go ahead and write this chapter. Most of this chapter came to me while I was in school.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Here's Time's Mortal Enemy to give you the disclaimer.  
  
Get real. If we owned Spirited Away, that would mean that we're Miyazaki, which would mean that we're an adult, which would mean that we wouldn't be getting ready for exams just now, would we?  
  
*~*  
  
"What on earth are YOU doing here?"  
  
Chihiro powered up her magic. Then she relaxed. It was only Haku.  
  
Just Haku.  
  
"We came to rescue Link. Why else do you think we'd be here?"  
  
"You can't! If you rescue him, then the deal's off."  
  
"What deal?"  
  
"He made a deal with Jumari that allows you to stay here in the spirit world forever, never aging or dying. If we rescue him, you'll have to leave and never come back!"  
  
"Well, I can't just leave him here!"  
  
"Your friend is right." A voice sounded from behind them, coming from the staircase that had been on their left. They wheeled around once again, only to see an exquisitely dressed lady walking down the stairs. "If you want to rescue him, I'll have to see to it that you return to your old world, and I assure you, I'm not going to let Link leave here alive."  
  
"Why not? Don't tell me that you like having him here." Chihiro looked at Jumari skeptically.  
  
"What's not to like? I get to torture him whenever I want to, as long as I don't do it for more than two hours a day, and there's nothing he can do about it."  
  
"Where are you keeping him?"  
  
"He's down in the dungeons."  
  
"WHAT! You're just going to leave him down there for eternity?"  
  
"Why shouldn't I? Of course, if you're going to get snippy about it, I GUESS I could give him a SLIGHTLY more comfortable room."  
  
"You do that, or I'll see to it that you never take another prisoner again."  
  
"Whatever." Jumari turned and looked at the young man behind her. "Knoma, has the healer finished with Link yet?"  
  
"Yes, m' lady. He's all healed, and should be sleeping off the effects of the spell even as we speak."  
  
"Good. See to it that he's given comfortable quarters."  
  
"As you wish." Knoma turned and bounded up the stairs to a door through which he disappeared.  
  
"Now, what am I going to do with you? I'm still rather upset that you broke the spell on my gate, leaving me open to attack. I should make you hurt for that."  
  
"I doubt that you could do anything to me." Chihiro did not look in the least bit impressed with the power aura that was emanating from Jumari. In fact, she almost sneered at its relative weakness when compared with her own. She had no way of knowing that Jumari had long since mastered the ability of masking her own power in order to make her opponent overconfident.  
  
"Chihiro, let's go. There's no way that you can beat her," Haku pleaded with her. He didn't want to see her get hurt, and after all, she didn't know any magic, so if it came down to a fight there was no way that Chihiro could win.  
  
"I'm not leaving until I've had a chance to speak to Link. If you don't let me, then I'll never leave." Chihiro glared at Jumari, not wishing to back down so easily, and upset that Haku hadn't been able to sense her power.  
  
"Fine. You can wait for him in the quarters that Haku and Link stayed in earlier. However, you may only stay until he's woken up. After that, you may see him, and then you must leave. I'll not have my tower being invaded by an upstart witch like you. I'll send him out to you once he's awake. Until then, you wait."  
  
Chihiro nodded her assent, then noticed Haku was staring at her with big eyes.  
  
"You never told me you could use magic!"  
  
"That's because last time I saw you, I couldn't. I've just learned recently, thanks to the help of Nami here." She pointed to the boy standing some distance behind her.  
  
"I take it that you're the one I have to thank for Chihiro being here," Haku said. He didn't like the idea of a strange boy spending much time with Chihiro, seeing as they had just recently seen each other again. There was no telling what they might have done together.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm a friend, nothing more. There's no reason for you to get all upset." Nami grinned at him. "I've got to tell you though, she's a real keeper."  
  
"Hrrrn." Haku made a low growling sound in his throat, and Nami backed up with his palms outward.  
  
"Hey, cool down. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. I just think that you did really well in keeping her."  
  
They followed Haku up the stairway to the quarters.  
  
"If we have to spend the night here, how will we sleep? There are only two beds."  
  
Nami grinned at Chihiro, and she grinned back. This was going to be something else.  
  
"Well, back at Zenniba's, Nami always slept at the foot of my bed."  
  
"WHAT! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!"  
  
"Nope. That was the way that we slept. HEY, GET AWAY FROM HIM!"  
  
Haku had begun to advance menacingly on Nami, who was backing away, grinning.  
  
"Listen, it's not what you think. That was the best place in the house, as well as the warmest. We didn't DO anything, so it shouldn't matter!"  
  
"Listen. You will never, ever, ever sleep on Chihiro's bed. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!!!!??????"  
  
"Come on, Haku. Lighten up. He spent almost all of the time at Zenniba's in his foxform, so there wasn't anything going on between us."  
  
"I don't care!" Haku went into the kitchen and prepared a quick midnight snack for them. "Hey, Chihiro. Do you want to go out and check out the gardens?"  
  
"Sure." She finished her food, then excused herself from Nami's company.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I think I'll explore the tower. Maybe I can find some way for me to get my revenge on her."  
  
"Be careful." With those words, Chihiro and Haku left the room.  
  
*~* 


	4. Flora's Secret

Dante: Hello. I'm back (lol). Well, we're still drawing ever closer to Christmas, and I know exactly what I'm getting everybody on my list. I'm so happy. I just HAPPENED to come by fifty dollars, so adding that to the seventy five that I already have, I should be all set.  
  
Now, today I've decided to allow Brian (the REAL me), to give you the disclaimer, since he's been on my back to do it ever since I let Isildri do it.  
  
Brian: Well, neither I nor any of the others own Spirited Away, but we hope that we'll be able to purchase the rights to it someday.  
  
Dante: Get real, man. There's no way we'll ever own it, so don't even joke like that.  
  
Isildri: Hey, I want a part in this story!  
  
Dante: Well, too bad. I've decided that you're not going to get one.  
  
Isildri: *grumble*  
  
Dante: Well, merry Christmas to all, and to all a good reading! (laughs insanely, all the readers back nervously away)  
  
Hey, where'd everybody go? Oh well.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
ps: this is a song fic, going with the song Flora's Secret, by enya, in her Day Without Rain album.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro and Haku walked through the magnificent gardens that covered the hillside behind the tower. They spent their time just talking, walking, and sometimes just enjoying each other's company in silence.  
  
"Haku."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, I just think that you should be a little nicer to Nami. He's had it rough, and I think it would make him very happy if you were to accept him.  
  
"I. I don't know." Haku stared off into the starlit sky. "I want to be able to think the best of him, but I get the feeling that he's just using you to get what he wants."  
  
"You don't know him the way I do. I spent nearly a month in the same house with him, and I'd like to think that I know his personality and reasons for being friends with me."  
  
"I just hope that you're not making a big mistake."  
  
"Let's not talk about this right now. I just want to enjoy the night." Chihiro looked over at Haku, worry evident in her eyes. "Why are you so depressed?"  
  
"Well, it's just that I feel bad about what's happening to Link. I wish that this wasn't the only way for us to be together. It's not right that someone else should have to sacrifice themselves so that we can be happy. The way I see it, it should be ME being tortured in there, and not him. I'M the one who wants to be with you, so I should be the one securing our future together."  
  
"Oh, Haku. You can't think like that. Thinking that way will only make you more depressed, and I'm not in the mood to see you depressed tonight."  
  
"They allowed me to see the first session."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They did. Chihiro, it was terrible! They must have whipped him a hundred thousand times, and never once did he cry out. I felt so. guilty."  
  
"That's just the way that Jumari wants you to feel. You mustn't blame yourself for Link's choice. He decided to do this of his own free will. No one forced him to."  
  
"I understand that, but I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for not being the one under the lash instead of him."  
  
"Where are we going?" Chihiro asked. She looked around, noting just how far they had gone from the tower.  
  
"I found this place with Link, and thought that you might like to see it."  
  
"How much further is it?"  
  
"It's right up here." Haku took her hand and started to run, urging Chihiro on with him. They ran for a short distance before coming out of the maze of hedges and into the clearing in the center. In the middle of the clearing was a magnificent fountain.  
  
"It's beautiful," Chihiro whispered. The water in the fountain splashed out, cascading down in a crystalline shower, while mist flung up rainbows. On the far end of the large clearing were a cliff and a waterfall, which came down in a thin aquamarine sheet. On the edge of the lake created by the waterfall stood a silver pagoda.  
  
*~*  
  
Lovers in the long grass  
  
Look above them  
  
Only they can see  
  
Where the clouds are going  
  
Only to discover  
  
Dust and sunlight  
  
Ever make the sky so blue  
  
*~*  
  
"We asked Knoma what the pagoda was called, and he said they called it the Birthplace of Eternal Love. (a/n- I don't know what that is in Japanese, but if someone could review and tell me I'd be very appreciative) See, I brought you here for a reason." Haku drew her close and lowered his face to hers, his warm lips meeting her halfway. She shivered at the tingle that ran down her spine as his tongue entered her mouth. Then, as suddenly as he had come down, he drew back, holding her hand up for her to see. On it was the most magnificent, yet petite ring she had ever seen. The stone on it was small, but had captured in its countless facets all the colors of the rainbow. She gasped.  
  
"Chihiro, will you marry me?" Haku looked down at her with strength of longing and love that she knew had to be real.  
  
She was speechless.  
  
*~*  
  
Afternoon is hazy  
  
River flowing  
  
All around the sounds  
  
Moving closer to them  
  
Telling them the story  
  
Told by Flora  
  
Dreams they never knew  
  
*~*  
  
Everything about the moment was so. perfect. They were surrounded by beauty, but the only beauty that Haku could see was the innocent beauty in his arms. The waterfall, the fountain, they all paled in comparison to the girl in front of him.  
  
"I. I. I don't know what to say," she stammered, barely able to get the words out of her mouth.  
  
"Please say yes. I love you, and I don't want to go on living another moment without you by my side. The month I spent with Link showed me how important true love can be, and I never want to lose you." Haku took a deep breath, trembling from head to foot, afraid that she might say no.  
  
"I. yes."  
  
*~*  
  
Silver willows  
  
Tears from Persia  
  
Those who come  
  
From a far- off island  
  
Winter Chanterelle lies  
  
Under cover  
  
Glory-of-the-sun in blue  
  
*~*  
  
There was so much meaning contained in that one little word, that one small answer, the least of all answers given, yet the most important answer Haku had ever received.  
  
"Why?" She wanted to know what had given him the courage to ask her. He didn't seem like one to be good at asking anyone on matters of love.  
  
*~*  
  
Some they know as passion  
  
Some as freedom  
  
Some they know as love  
  
And the way it leaves them  
  
Summer snowflake  
  
For a season  
  
When the sky above is blue  
  
When the sky above is blue  
  
*~*  
  
"It was Link's idea. He wanted to see you happy."  
  
"When?" her voice seemed elated; the love for him that shone in her eyes was accented by the moon in them.  
  
"Whenever. As soon as possible."  
  
*~*  
  
Lying in the long grass  
  
Close beside her  
  
Giving her the name  
  
Of the one the moon loves  
  
This will be the day she  
  
Will remember  
  
When she knew his heart  
  
Was  
  
Loving in the long grass  
  
Close beside her  
  
Whispering of love  
  
And the way it leaves them  
  
Lying in the long grass  
  
In the sunlight  
  
They believe its true love  
  
And from all around them  
  
Flora's secret  
  
Telling them of love  
  
And the way it breaths  
  
And  
  
Looking up from eyes of  
  
Amaranthine  
  
They can see the sky  
  
Is blue  
  
Knowing that their love  
  
Is true  
  
Dreams they never knew  
  
And the sky above is blue  
  
*~*  
  
They lay there, next to each other, holding the other's hands, watching as shooting stars rained down overhead, wanting nothing more than for this moment to never end. Their love was pure, untainted by the matters of the world around them. Nothing could ever tear them apart. At that moment, they were both completely whole. This was what their destiny was. This was their reason for existing.  
  
"Ai shiteru." He looked over at her, love in his deep green eyes; eyes that she could get lost in so easily.  
  
"Ai shiteru."  
  
And she did.  
  
*~*  
  
Well. That was probably the most fun that I've had in a long time, although it was HARD TO WRITE WITH MY CLASSMATES LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER, GIGGLING AT ALL OF THE TENDER SPOTS! See, I'm in the school library, and there's quite a crowd behind me. Any moment now, Mrs. Boillat is going to come over to yell at them.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri 


	5. Kisses

Hello! I'm BACK! (sounds of cheering and clapping). Thank you, thank you. I really don't deserve it. Really, I don't. Now, as you've probably guessed, I'm going to try to write some more today, but after this, I won't be able to update due to exams and all.  
  
Not much else to say, except Merry Christmas!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Disclaimer- I only own Jumari, Knoma, Link, and Nami. There might be a little, special certain someone in this chapter, but I'm not totally sure. I do not own the rest of Spirited Away.  
  
*~*  
  
That night it snowed.  
  
Chihiro and Haku woke up the next morning to find the mountains outside covered with clouds, and the vast plain itself buried in snow. The sun was bright, and the way that it glistened off the snow blinded them, hurting their eyes.  
  
They had not yet received word as to whether Link had awoken yet, and figured that he must not have since it was clear that Jumari wanted them out of the tower as soon as possible.  
  
They sat on the couch, cuddling together, Haku playing with Chihiro's hair, and Chihiro with her face buried into his chest.  
  
"How did you sleep?" Haku spoke softly, with a hint of tenderness in his voice.  
  
"Well enough. I wanted to be with you, though." Chihiro sighed.  
  
"I've been thinking. Maybe we should have the wedding here, in the gardens outside. That way, Link will be able to be there, though he wouldn't otherwise."  
  
Chihiro looked up at him, and the look on her face showed off the admiration she had for him. She hadn't been sure that he would even WANT Link there, much less go to all this trouble so that he could.  
  
Haku leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then proceeded to get up.  
  
"Don't go." Chihiro shivered as his warmth left her side.  
  
"I think it's high time we had something to eat. I'll be right back, so don't worry." He walked out of the room and headed down toward the kitchens.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro layed where she was for a moment, then got up and went to make her bed. She noticed that Nami hadn't gotten up yet, and was still lying motionless in the corner of the room. The way he was lying, he could have easily been mistaken for a dust ball. She giggled.  
  
{He looks so cute lying there.} She stopped herself. {Not as cute as Haku, though} She couldn't wait to tell Nami that she was getting married. If only her mother were here. She would probably go off the deep end, saying something about how Chihiro was only sixteen, and therefore no where near old enough to be getting married. Her dad, on the other hand would first say that he was so proud of her, and after that would say that if Haku ever hurt her in any way, he would rip him to shreds. That was just the way that her parents were. They always HAD been a little weird.  
  
Nami was stirring now, even as she finished making Haku's bed. She walked over to him and picked him up, carrying him out into the sitting room, where she put him down on the couch, then turned to make a cup of tea. When she turned 'round again, he was sitting there in his human form.  
  
"Nice ring." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her.  
  
"Yeah," she murmered, still in a daze about the whole thing.  
  
"So, how'd he propose?" He looked at her curiously.  
  
"Well, he kissed me, and then when he drew away, there was the ring. It was so romantic." Chihiro handed Nami his cup of tea, and then sat down next to him with her own.  
  
"So, when's the big day?"  
  
"We haven't exactly decided yet, but we know that it's going to be sometime soon, and we're going to hold it here so that Link can attend."  
  
Nami looked away.  
  
"Have you chosen who's going to serve as the best man and maid of honor?"  
  
"Well, I was pretty sure that we're going to have Link be the best man, and I think that Lin should be the maid of honor. I was going to ask you if you would serve as one of the groomsmen."  
  
"It would be a delight, as well as an honor." Nami sipped at his tea, then shuddered. "It's a bit bitter."  
  
"Well, that's because there wasn't much left, and I had to make it work for two cups. I'm sorry if you don't like it." Chihiro looked away.  
  
"No, of course not. I just am not used to bitter tea. Truth is, I've never had tea before in my entire life!"  
  
"Really?" This struck Chihiro as funny. "How can you have never had tea before?"  
  
"Well, when you live in a cave under a hill, you don't get that opportunity much."  
  
As they talked, the door to the room opened, and Knoma came in, Haku close behind him. They were both balancing trays laden with foods and rolls and pastries and all sorts of other magnificent breakfast food. Knoma put his tray down on the table, then proceeded to begin to serve them, Haku helping.  
  
"Has Link woken up yet?" Chihiro was anxious to find out why he hadn't come to them yet. She believed that if he was awake and knew that they were here, he would be sure to come to them right away. There was no doubt in her mind that he would love to see them.  
  
"No, I'm afraid not. Mistress Jumari can't seem to figure it out. He was healed right after the torture, so there should be no reason for him to remain comatose. It's very strange."  
  
Chihiro thought for a minute, then had a wonderful idea.  
  
"Why don't you let me go see him. I could probably wake him up."  
  
Knoma looked rather startled at this suggestion, and it took him a few moments to finally comprehend what she had said.  
  
"Go. to him? I don't know. I would have to ask Jumari before I could let you do something like that."  
  
"Well, then why don't you go ask her?" Chihiro sat back, clearly indicating that this conversation was over. Knoma made as if to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and turned around and left the room. Haku turned toward Chihiro.  
  
"So, have you told Nami yet?"  
  
Nami nodded. "I think that it's wonderful. Chihiro asked me if I'd like to be one of the groomsmen, and I thought that it was a wonderful idea. I also think that it was very noble of you to want to ask Link to be your best man. Haku looked over at Chihiro, who mouthed 'I'll tell you later'. He nodded in assent. Nami looked at the two.  
  
"I have an appointment to talk with Jumari, so I'll be leaving the two of you alone together." He winked, then walked out the door and shut it behind him. Haku proceeded to jump on top of Chihiro and smother her face and neck with kisses. She giggled.  
  
"Stop it. What would happen if Nami had left something here and came back to fetch it?"  
  
"MMPHHH." Haku brushed her hair out of his mouth. "Let him. I couldn't care less." So they proceeded on with the make-out session. 


	6. Awakening

Well. As you've probably guessed, Exams are over. I'm thrilled, and can't wait to get results back. Mind you, I'm not the most studious person in the world, but I do get fairly good grades. I'm hoping to be able to get into Calvin College, where I'm going to major somewhere in Asian History, and minor in Archeaelogy.  
  
At no point in this story will there be a lemon. I don't write them. I never have, and I probably never will, mainly because I don't know how. I'm not good at writing that sort of thing.  
  
Please keep on reading, and review. Thanks.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Disclaimer- Me no own.  
  
*~*  
  
Nami walked down the hallway in search of Knoma, hoping that he could tell him when he could see Jumari. Nami had been waiting anxiously ever since his arrival to hear Jumari defend her actions, and he didn't intend to wait much longer.  
  
He would have stayed with Chihiro and Haku, but it seemed clear that they wanted to be alone, so he had excused himself on the pretense of going outside.  
  
He reached the elevator just as Knoma stepped off. They acknowledged each other.  
  
"Where are you going?" Knoma looked at Nami suspiciously.  
  
"I wanted to go and see Jumari. She has basically ignored my presence, and I'm not going to stand for it any more. She has no right to decide that she doesn't want to talk to me. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was afraid."  
  
Knoma looked at Nami incredulously, then burst into laughter. He found it distinctly funny that this upstart spirit had the nerve to suggest that Jumari was afraid to see him.  
  
"You don't know much about her, do you. It takes a whole lot to scare her. In all my years as her consort, I've never once seen her truly afraid." He laughed again. It was all just too funny.  
  
Nami glowered for a minute, then asked, "Is Link awake yet?"  
  
"No. However, Jumari has agreed to allow Chihiro to attempt to wake her up. She says that it certainly can't hurt, and he needs to be awake in order for the next torture to proceed. It's rather pointless torturing a body that for all the world might as well be dead."  
  
Nami turned and entered the elevator. The doors shut behind him, blocking Knoma's last words. It began to rise.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro and Haku were still going at it when there came a knock on the door. They separated, and Haku got up and opened it, revealing Knoma. Chihiro got to her feet.  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
"Well, she said that it couldn't possibly do any harm, so she asked that you do so." Knoma looked as though he wanted to say more, but then seemed to think better of it. Haku looked at Chihiro, who then asked to be led to him.  
  
Knoma guided them over to another elevator, and after heading up several floors, they disembarked to find themselves in another cooridoor similar to the one that they had just come from. They proceeded up a flight of stairs, and then down another hallway, until at last Knoma came to a stop in front of a beautifully carved mahogany door.  
  
"He's right in here. Haku and I will leave you alone with him for a while. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." He and Haku waited as she opened the door and entered the room.  
  
Once inside, the first thing that caught her eye was just how lavishly the room was decorated. She walked over to the bed on which Link lay, his chest rising and falling with an agonizing slowness. His tunic was off, and he lay seeming to shiver from the cold air that blew in through the open window. She quickly closed it, hoping to heaven that he wouldn't get sick as a result of his caretaker's neglingence. She then sat down on the bed and took his hands in her own, holding them close.  
  
"Please, Link. You've got to wake up. If you don't, who's going to be the best man at my wedding?" She whispered the words gently into his ear, wanting ever so much for him to be able to hear her. She wanted him to wake up so that she could tell him about the impending wedding, to share with him the joyful news.  
  
His eyelids fluttered for a moment, then they were still once again. Still, that little movement gave her hope that he could hear her, and caused her to try even harder to get him to wake.  
  
"Come on. If you don't wake up, I'll have to leave the Spirit World forever." She checked herself, realizing just how selfish the statement was. The words that she had just spoken made it seem as though she only cared if he woke up because it was to her own benefit if he did.  
  
There. His eyelids definitely did flutter that time, and the sudden movement of his arm startled her enough to cause her to lose her balance and fall off the bed. He groaned, and then opened his eyes and looked down at her. The expression on his face was one of surprise and bewilderment.  
  
"Chihiro! What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to rescue you." Chihiro stood up and dusted herself off, then sat back down on the bed.  
  
"You shouldn't have come." His voice trailed off as he seemed to notice the ring on her finger. "So. Haku finally got up the courage to do it, did he?"  
  
Chihiro grinned at him.  
  
"Yep. He did it just last night, out in the gardens."  
  
Well, congratulations." Link looked thrilled, but there was clearly a hint of regret in his eyes.  
  
"Oh, Link. You know that it just wasn't meant to be. I still love you as a friend, and I always will."  
  
"So, when's the big day?"  
  
"We aren't sure yet, but sometime soon. We decided to hold it out in the gardens so that you can attend."  
  
"You really didn't have to do that."  
  
Chihiro just smiled at him and they spent the next few minutes discussing the manner in which Haku had proposed,  
  
"I wasn't sure if he was really going to take my advice. The way that he treated my suggestion made me think that he wouldn't." Link looked thoughtful. "I guess that I didn't give him near enough credit."  
  
Chihiro fell silent, her mind coming back to the question that had been bothering her for months now.  
  
"Link?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you sure that you want to go through with the deal that you've made? I mean, if you decide that you want to back out now, I won't mind. I'd be willing to return to the human world."  
  
"Without Haku?"  
  
Well." her voice trailed off into silence. She would later swear that she saw tears in his usually emotionless eyes. He looked away and the moment passed.  
  
"Thank you." His voice was so quiet that she almost missed his words. "Thank you for caring, thank you for coming after me, and thank you for your friendship. I'll never forget any of it."  
  
Chihiro wasn't stupid. She realized instantly that Link needed to be alone for a while, so she stood up and walked to the door.  
  
"If you need to talk, just have Knoma come and get me." She opened the door and walked out. 


	7. Memories Part 1

Yay! I am so happy that Christmas is almost here. My sister just got home from college, so that makes me happy as well, and I've got a couple of presents under the Christmas tree. Life is indeed good.  
  
I want to tell all of you who are reading this story that I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and New Year, especially for those of you who are going to be on the road, and thank you all so much for reading.  
  
I was watching the last interview with the free Saddam, conducted by Dan Rather, and he was just off the wall weird. He declared that they hadn't lost the gulf war, he was always referring to religious references, and he told us that if anyone should ever invade the US, we should not give in but we should fight them to the death. Then he said that we shouldn't invade them, because they would never invade us, and I got this picture in my head of all these Iraqi soldiers goose stepping through Chicago, and I laughed. I found it really funny.  
  
Now, on with the FF.  
  
Disclaimer- I really don't want to do this, since it's so close to the holidays, less than a week away, but if I don't, then the lawyers in black suits will come after me and I'll have to hide myself and grow out my hair and hide in a rat hole like Saddam, which I thought was very funny, and I'm so glad that they captured him, and now I'm rambling, which is NOT good, so I don't own Spirited Away or anything else by Miyazaki. Gomen!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Nami rode the elevator up in silence, thinking hard. He really had no idea what he was going to say to Jumari when he saw her, and truth be told, he was a little scared. The thought of at last confronting the Spirit that had killed his family was a little unnerving, and he found himself wondering if she would be at all repentant.  
  
The ride on the elevator seemed to take forever, and finally he was at the top, stepping out into the chamber just outside the throne room. He strode over to the door and pulled it open, walking into the darkened chamber.  
  
It was empty. There was not a living being in sight in the entire chamber, which didn't surprise him. He ought to have known that she'd be off somewhere preparing the next torture for Link. He turned around and left the room, not bothering to close the doors behind him.  
  
*~*  
  
3 o'clock.  
  
Link rolled over, knowing that in one hour they would be summoning him for the second torture session.  
  
He tried to go back to sleep, figuring that it was no use staying awake just so that he could agonize over the coming torture, but not surprisingly he found that he was unable to. He stood and walked out to the balcony, gazing out over the vast white plain, watching the sun sparkle off of the clean, fresh snow.  
  
{How is it that a world so beautiful and perfect could be filled with such heartbreak?}  
  
He stood out in the cold, shivering, until he realized that if he didn't get back inside soon he would freeze. He wandered back into the room, put on the clean tunic that lay out for him, and then took a seat in an armchair in front of the roaring fire, gazing into its flickering depths.  
  
A knock came at the door, startling him out of his reverie. He looked up, then went over and opened the door to reveal Knoma waiting for him.  
  
"It's time." Knoma led him through the hallways, far down into the very depths of the tower, down deep below the foundations into the many caverns that riddled the rock. Down in these treacherous depths the only light came from the torches that lined the path, and each cavern was so immense that the light was quickly overcome by the darkness. The only sounds that could be heard were that of dripping water and their own footsteps.  
  
Down they went, farther and farther into the darkness that surrounded them, covering them and smothering them.  
  
And then they came out into a huge cavern, glistening with the light of torches reflecting off the many faceted crystals that lay imbedded in the wall.  
  
In the middle of the cavern were two perfectly round, magnificently blue- silver pools that stunned Link into even deeper silence. There was something about the pools that intrigued him, and he had to restrain himself from abandoning all caution and just simply throwing himself in. Next to him, he could see that Knoma was having the same trouble.  
  
"Welcome, Link, to the Cavern of Forgotten Memories and Darkest Dreams." Startled, he looked around for the source of the voice until he saw Jumari sitting on a stone throne on a ledge high above them. She stood up, allowing her hair to cascade down her back in beautiful black waves. She stepped off the ledge.  
  
Haku gasped, then gasped again, for instead of falling to her death, she floated down gently until she came to rest on the other side of the pools.  
  
"I have selected for you a rather unique method of torture. I don't think that there is anything else like it in the entire world. This torture will not hurt you physically, but it will mentally you will find yourself in utter agony." She grinned at him, her heart screaming at her to stop, but as she hadn't listened to her heart in years, she didn't now. She ignored the cries and continued. "All you need do is select one of the pools and enter it, letting it go on from there."  
  
Link removed his tunic, then headed for the pool on his left. He looked back at Jumari, and she nodded, so he stuck one of his feet into the pool. Nothing happened. The water was rather warm compared with the freezing air around him, so he carefully slid himself into the warm water. He looked at Jumari again, and once again she nodded.  
  
"You need to be totally submerged for it to work." He took a deep breath and plunged into the water.  
  
Instantly he found himself surrounded by a vast nothingness. There was light all around him, but the pool had disappeared. It seemed as if he was floating in the middle of space, no way to move and no way to escape. He tentatively attempted to breathe, and was rather relieved when he found that he could. That, however, meant that there was no way he could still be under water.  
  
{This isn't so bad.} He wondered for a moment whether this was a joke that was being played on him by Jumari, but then he ruled out the possibility.  
  
Then he saw the figure. It was a tall, hooded and cloaked figure, dark and menacing.  
  
"Who are you?" Link asked him, curious yet apprehensive at the same time.  
  
"I am the executioner." The figure floated towards him, and Link realized that there was no way for him to get out of reach.  
  
"So you're just going to kill me?"  
  
"No. I have simply come to torture you. You have selected the pool of memory, and as such will be forced to relive all the worst moments of your life. It has come to my attention that you have some highly unusual ones, ones that would be sure to break men much stronger than you. Now come, there are many memories for us to visit, and little time to visit them in."  
  
The Executioner took hold of Link's hand and began to pull him forward.  
  
"We will begin with some of your earlier memories."  
  
Link suddenly found himself surrounded by figures from a day in his past, a day he remembered all to well.  
  
"Please, don't show me this." He would have been on his knees if he had been able to move, but it seemed that he could only move when the Executioner touched him, and he had removed his hand before Link could turn away.  
  
A car could be seen coming up the street, and a little boy ran out into the road in front of it. The car swerved, missing the boy, and hit the woman running after him instead. She hit the hood, made a huge dent, and was flung up over the roof and cleared the rest of the car. She hit the ground with a sickening thud, and lay there, limp and unmoving. A man ran out of the crowd and hurried to her side, screaming her name. He cried for a moment, then rounded on the boy.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking? You little bastard, you've killed your mother!"  
  
The boy backed away from him, crying and screaming that it wasn't true, that mommy was just sleeping, but the blood that was pouring out of her shattered skull proved otherwise. The father just held her in his arms and remained that way until the ambulance came.  
  
*~*  
  
How did you like that? This memory explains why his father hated him so much, and if you have any ideas for more memories, please tell me. The next few chapters will be devoted to the different memories that he is forced to relive. 


	8. Memories Part 2

Well, I just got back from Chicago, and I'm kind of tired. I decided that I needed to write some more, since I didn't all weekend, but I don't expect that this is going to be a very long chapter.  
  
Actually, I'm lucky to be able to write this chapter at all. I ran our car into a ditch on Friday on the way down, and we came real close to buying it off of a semi. What happened was we were going passed an on ramp and a semi and a couple of cars were coming on, so I moved the car into the fast lane to let them merge. Unfortunately, there was about a foot of snow in the fast lane since the plow hadn't been through yet, so I went into a slide. Being the wonderful driver that I am, I hit the brake, and the car slid right in front of the semi, across the highway, and into the ditch on the right hand side.  
  
That was my fun experience this Christmas break, and I hope I won't be having any more soon.  
  
Enjoy this newest chapter of Pools of Torment.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Disclaimer- I still don't own nothin.  
  
*~*  
  
Link stood motionless, unable to move, as the Executioner approached him again.  
  
"Now we go to a day a few years later. You remember this day?"  
  
Link found himself surrounded by the familiar sights of his old school. The faces on the kids that he saw were all ones that he knew, and the sounds and smells all felt so real. The Executioner took him to a remote corner behind a building, where a crowd of boys was gathered. Link instantly remembered the day.  
  
"So, you're actually going to fight him?" The voice came from just another face; one that Link was unable to say was a friend, as he had none. The group faced his younger self in silence, watching, waiting.  
  
"I don't have much of a choice, now do I?" Link listened to himself speak, wishing to heaven that he could tell himself to give it up, to run away, that it wasn't worth it.  
  
"So, punk. You decided to come. Big mistake." A gruff voice sounded, and the group of boys that had been surrounding Link scattered, trying to get away from the source.  
  
Yamusi Trankinta had always been a bully, no one ever having dared to stand up to him. At three seven, he stood head and shoulders above most every boy in their class, and was well built and muscular for his age. He surveyed the small, wiry figure that stood before him with disgust.  
  
"I'm not going to lie down and take any more of your taunting." Link's younger self stepped into his punch, and delivered it straight into Yamusi's stomach. He grunted, but didn't even flinch. He stooped down and nailed Link in the side of the head, knocking him down to the ground, then began to kick him, his shoe coming away bloodier and bloodier each time. His friends finally stepped in, trying to get him to stop before he killed the kid, but he wouldn't. Finally, once he decided that Link was dead, he spat on him and turned and walked away.  
  
The sight dissolved.  
  
*~*  
  
I know that that was a much shorter chapter than usual, but I'm tired and don't feel in the mood to write a longer one. There will be more memories, and if you think of any good ones, review and tell me! 


	9. Memories Part 3

This memory is going to be just as short as the last one, because it is really tiring to write a long memory for Link. A couple more of these and then I'll get back to Chihiro and Haku, for some more lovingness.  
  
Keep Reviewing!  
  
This Chapter goes out to a certain anonymous reviewer.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
PS: I don't own Spirited Away  
  
*~*  
  
Link found himself standing in the middle of a room in the hospital. He was able to turn his head, and when he did so he saw the younger version of himself lying on the bed, hooked up to various machines. He remembered vaguely that this must be a sort of follow-up memory from the last one; this having occurred after his broken body had been found. He suddenly heard his father outside.  
  
"Listen; just take him off life support. I don't want a paralyzed kid weighing me and his brother down."  
  
"I'm sorry sir, but doing something like that is illegal. We can't take him off unless there is adequate cause, and since he has been improving dramatically recently, we have no reason to think that he won't make it."  
  
"Look. How about I pay five hundred bucks. Will you do it then?"  
  
"I don't take bribes, sir. It is my duty to see that the patient makes it though their ordeal, so I will not do anything that might endanger his health."  
  
"Damn." Link started as he heard the door start to open. He tried to move someplace so that his father wouldn't see him, but the executioner appeared behind him.  
  
"He can't see you. These are merely shadows."  
  
"You think I don't know that? I'm just not comfortable around the man who abused me to the point of death multiple times, okay?"  
  
The father walked into the room, and stood by the bed, staring at the broken body of his son in disgust.  
  
"You know, if I knew that I wouldn't get caught, I'd kill you with my own hands right now." He noticed a tear forming in his son's eyes. "Damn you. Damn you to hell. Why can't you just die? We'd all be so much better off. Your brother wants you just as dead as I do, no one likes you, so why don't you just end it yourself? As it is, you're just sucking my bank account dry."  
  
He stormed out of the room, and left the young boy alone. Summoning the last vestiges of strength that he had, the younger form of Link pulled out the connection to the machines.  
  
A long, unending beep filled the room.  
  
The father never looked back, even when he was surrounded by doctors and nurses heading towards the room.  
  
The sight dissolved.  
  
*~*  
  
Boy, I've got to tell you, Link seems like he's got nine lives, doesn't he? He's something. I and the others are really proud to have him as our own creation.  
  
Anyway, please read and review, and a special thanks to all of those who have already. 


	10. Memories Part 4

This chapter was actually written a long time before the last one, but then the idea for the last one kind of hit me, and since it only made sense after the other one, I put it there before this one. This is going to be the last of the memories, but there is going to be another series of chapters like this one based on the other pool, the one that he didn't choose, so I'm looking forward to that. Please, keep on reviewing after reading this chapter.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS;  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
MERRY CHRISTMAS!  
  
PS: I don't own Spirited Away  
  
*~*  
  
Link found himself once again moving through a myriad of lost and forgotten memories. He traveled through his childhood, witnessing all of the different abuses that he had been forced to endure. Finally, he found himself in the middle of a scene that he remembered all too well, since it had only occurred not two months ago.  
  
Chihiro and Haku were standing on a bridge, his arms around her waist, holding her close, and her lips on his, as they shared a kiss. He saw himself far off in the background, running away with his head down, paying no attention to anything that he passed. A tear rolled down the real Haku's cheek.  
  
"My time is up. I have shown you memories, and tortured you. Now, it is up to you to return and confront those in the memories."  
  
"Fat chance. There's no way I'm ever going to see my father or brother again, since I can't leave the tower."  
  
"Perhaps that is not as true as you think." The Executioner began to fade away, and Link suddenly became aware that he was wet, surrounded by water, not able to breath. He began to push himself upwards, as the wetness around him became more and more real, his lungs on fire, begging him for air, when finally he broke the surface of the water and gasped in the cold air.  
  
"I see that you've made it back." The voice belonged to Knoma, and when Link looked around, he saw that Jumari had disappeared. "You've been in there for a long time. What did you see?"  
  
Link said nothing as he pulled his tunic back on, then he turned and followed the torch lit path back up into the tower, to his room, where he collapsed on his bed and fell asleep, his dreams haunted by the remnants of the memories that he had seen.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro lay with Haku on the couch in their quarters, and he played with her hair as she lay with her eyes closed. Nami had returned only a little while ago, and he had not said a word to either of them since he had gotten back. He had retreated into the book filled study, where he had locked himself away from them.  
  
"Do you think that he's going to be okay?" Haku blinked, noticing that her voice was filled with concern.  
  
"Who? Link or Nami?"  
  
"Both. I mean, Link is going through some unknown torture even as we speak, and Nami could be going through his own little hell without us knowing. Who knows what that witch said to him when he tried to confront her."  
  
"That's one of the things that I love about you. You're so concerned for other people, and think so little about yourself."  
  
They lay there for several minutes, then Haku groaned and struggled to sit up.  
  
"What's the matter?" Chihiro looked at him in concern.  
  
"I just realized that I should go see what Nami is up to. If I'm right, he's probably plotting some way to kill Jumari, which wouldn't be a good thing for him to try."  
  
Chihiro nodded and got off of Haku, allowing him to get to his feet. "I'll go with you."  
  
"Suit yourself." Haku walked over to the door of the study and banged on it a couple of times. "Are you in there, Nami?"  
  
"That's kind of a stupid question. Of course he's in there." Chihiro summoned some of her magic and carefully opened the door. The first thing that they noticed was that the room was empty, and the window was open. Haku walked to the window, then gasped.  
  
There, on the ground fifty stories down, lay the spread eagled figure of Nami, cold and unmoving.  
  
*~*  
  
Well, this story has definitely taken a dramatic turn. How could Nami have been pushed out of the window without Chihiro and Haku knowing it? They WERE in the room right next to his. Well, keep reading to find out! 


	11. Investigation

Hey there everybody. A slight discrepancy was brought to my attention. It seems that in the last chapter I said that Nami had fallen fifty stories, but in the third book of Dead Souls, I said that anything above the thirtieth floor was Jumari's quarters, and that no one was allowed up there. I guess what I was doing was simply trying to make it seem a lot more impressive a height, so if you really care all that much, then you can pretend that it was fifty stories all along. If not, well, sorry!  
  
I'm thrilled that it's finally Christmas. This means that I get to get all sorts of fun presents! That makes me very happy!  
  
Now, I didn't really feel like writing this chapter, but then I saw some of the nice reviews that I got, which is like a grand total of 1, thanks so much to Keetra, who has been MOST faithful in reading and reviewing. Yeah, I know. Another cliffhanger, doesn't life suck?  
  
Read and Review!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own Spirited Away, or any of the other great anime's out there, although I really wish that I did.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro sunk to the ground, not sure what was going on. It seemed that her brain wasn't working, that nothing that was surrounding her made sense. Everything was blurry, and then it all went to black as her head hit the ground with a sickening thud.  
  
*~*  
  
Haku turned from the window only to find that Chihiro had passed out and was now laying limp on the cold flagstones. He quickly scooped her up into his arms and took her into the bedroom, placing her in the bed and arranging the blankets around her so that she wouldn't be cold. He then left the room in search of the others.  
  
Once he had been able to locate Knoma, they headed outside and found Nami. He was lying limp in a deep snowdrift, and when they examined him closer, they were able to determine that his chest was rising and falling slightly.  
  
He was alive!  
  
They carried him inside, bringing him up to the room and placing him on the bed next to Chihiro, then went back into the study to see just what had happened. During this time, Link had joined them, not saying a word but helping them to search for clues.  
  
The room bore no evidence of a struggle, and there was no sign that anyone but Nami had been in there at all that day. The window had been open, so that meant that for all intents and purposes, it had been opened before Nami fell. They had found Nami on his back, so that meant that he couldn't have been pushed from behind out the window. They had absolutely no leads, nothing to go on.  
  
Finally, after a while of finding nothing to indicate to them how he fell, they gave up and went back into the bedroom. Their only hope of finding out what had happened to him was for him to wake up and tell them himself, and it seemed clear that he wasn't in any position to do that.  
  
Chihiro groaned, raising an arm and attempting to block out the light that was streaming through the open window. Haku and Link rushed to her side while Knoma went and closed the window so that the light wouldn't disorient her upon her awakening.  
  
"W-What h-h-happened?" She groaned as she tried to sit up, and Haku gently pressed her down back into the bed.  
  
"Shhhh. It's okay. It seems that Nami had a little fall, but we think he's going to be all right."  
  
Chihiro looked up a them, then smiled.  
  
"Oh. Hello Link. Back already?" He nodded.  
  
"It wasn't that difficult," he lied. In truth, the torture that he had just recently undergone was one of the most difficult and strenuous that he had faced to date. Knoma gave him a rather peculiar look, then turned back to wetting a small towel, which he passed to Haku to put on Chihiro's forehead. She sighed deeply, her eyes closed.  
  
"That feels real good."  
  
"I know. Now, just stay there and rest. You took quite a shock."  
  
She nodded, and in no time at all drifted off into a dreamless sleep.  
  
The three boys got up and went outside of the room.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Knoma looked at Haku.  
  
"I just don't know WHAT to think. It all seems so bizarre. The entire thing doesn't make sense." He looked very downtrodden.  
  
"Well, let's review what we've got so far." Link looked at both of them. "We found Nami on his back in a deep snowdrift, clearly haven fallen from quite some height. Neither you nor Chihiro heard anything suspicious the entire time that Nami was in the room next to you. It would seem that either he or his attacker opened the window before pushing him out, and he was pushed in the chest, because he WAS found on his back."  
  
"We know everything except the specific details of the attack, and without those, we've got nothing to go on." Haku turned and walked back into the study, looking around very carefully.  
  
"Hey, look!" Link walked over to the desk and pulled away from it a fragment of black cloth.  
  
"It's black, and there are really only two people in the tower right now that we know about who wear black."  
  
"Yeah. Link and Jumari." 


	12. More Meetings

Well, this chapter is dedicated to the ONE new reviewer that I got. (SOB)  
  
Not like I care or anything, because nothing can faze me (MUHAHAHAHAH)  
  
So, maybe you remember when I was talking about wrapping this story up a while ago? Well, I realized yesterday that I could probably keep the story going on forever if I wanted to.  
  
I won't, though. I'm not sure when I will cut it off, just that it's not now, but rather sometime in the future.  
  
I know that it's been a while since I've updated, like days! But that doesn't matter, does it? I believe that you'd wait YEARS in order to read more.  
  
Actually, probably not.  
  
So anyway, enjoy this chapter, and THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REVIEWED, ESPECIALLY KEETRA. In case you (Keetra) didn't see, I reviewed one of your stories.  
  
I know what you're thinking: ABOUT TIME!  
  
Without further ado or ramblings, the next chapter.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Link stared at Haku, then turned and walked out of the room without saying a word, leaving the cloth on the desk. Haku walked over and picked it up, examining it very carefully before reaching a conclusion.  
  
"It's not his. The cloth is of a different make than his tunic or breeches, and the only way to get into the study was through the room that Chihiro and I were sitting in, and we didn't see him."  
  
Knoma looked at Haku, then questioned his ability to see ANYTHING when he was necking with the girl he loved.  
  
"See, me and Jumari, we did that sort of thing a lot, so I know for a fact that the entire world around you disappears when you're kissing the one you love."  
  
Haku shuddered at the picture that was forming in his head of Knoma and Jumari making out. Sure, she was beautiful, but she was totally evil, and kind of weird looking. He passed the cloth over to Knoma for examination, and he declared that he had never seen Jumari wear anything of the sort in all the thousands of years that he had been her personal attendant, choosing outfits for her to wear. (a/n- I know that that sounds kind of weird, but believe me, that's what PA did.)  
  
"So, then whose is it?" Haku looked perplexed.  
  
"I don't know. If there was anyone else in the tower besides us, then either Jumari or I would know about it. It isn't like you can just walk in and hide from us. We have protection spells surrounding the place, there's no way in if we don't want you."  
  
"That's not what I know. Chihiro was able to get in without any trouble at all, so what makes you think that someone else couldn't do the same thing?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Knoma left the room, declaring that he would talk with Jumari about the incident, and then Haku went back to Chihiro and remained by her side until she awoke.  
  
*~*  
  
High in the upper reaches of the tower, a black shadow was moving, silently and unseen. It made its way down halls and through passages, entering rooms and moving through the closed doors (a/n- wait a minute, THROUGH THE DOORS? Yep). It was searching for someone, something, and clearly was not going to give up until it found whatever it was.  
  
*~*  
  
Jumari sat in her quarters, brushing her long black hair and working out the tangles. As she worked, a soft series of notes escaped her lips, and then turned into a song.  
  
Who can say where the road goes  
  
Where the day flows  
  
Only time  
  
And who can say if your love grows  
  
As your heart shows  
  
Only time  
  
Who can say why your heart sighs  
  
As your love flies  
  
Only time  
  
And who can say why your heart cries  
  
When your love lies  
  
Only time  
  
Who can say when the roads meet  
  
That love might be  
  
In your heart  
  
And who can say when the day sleeps  
  
If the night keeps  
  
All your heart  
  
Who can say if your love grows  
  
As your heart chose  
  
Only time  
  
And who can say where the road goes  
  
Where the day flows  
  
Only time  
  
Who knows, only time  
  
Who knows, only time  
  
(Only Time, by enya)  
  
As she sat there, she realized that she was not alone in the room. She turned around in her seat, staring directly at the black robed figure that stood tall and proud by her door. She glared at him, angry for his interrupting her moment of vulnerability.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I've come back for you, just as I promised. You DO remember, don't you? You remember the things that went on between us?"  
  
"What went on between us was foolish, ill considered, and unrealistic. Whatever there was is over." She turned back around and continued working on her hair. The figure dropped the black cloak, revealing himself to be a remarkably handsome young man, around twenty, with silver hair and red eyes, eyes that were almost as red as hers. She didn't even turn around.  
  
"Come on. We were in love. You told me that you never wanted me to leave, that I could stay."  
  
"And you didn't. You said that you needed to get out and see the world, that you needed some time, but that you would be back."  
  
"Here I am." He threw opened his arms, clearly hoping that she would come and throw herself into his arms, acting as if all the years that they had been apart had never happened. This time she did turn around, but it was with a fury in her eyes that had never been seen before in the Spirit and Physical world combined.  
  
"You think that after five hundred years you can just come back and pick up where we left off! I waited all this time, and just when I came to terms with the fact that you weren't coming back, you show up, ALMOST KILLING ONE OF MY GUESTS! I have no more to say to you."  
  
"Oh, come on. I only pushed him out because he had seen me earlier, and I didn't want you to know that I had returned until I could see you myself."  
  
"So that gives you every right to almost KILL HIM?"  
  
"I knew that he would land in the snowbank. You know me. I wouldn't kill him unless he gave me cause." He looked at her with pleading in his eyes, but she met it with stony indifference.  
  
"You would kill anyone, whether they were guilty of offending you or not. Don't give me any of that 'I'm innocent and harmless' crap. I know you better than that. Now, if you don't mind, it's almost time for my supper, so you can get out of my room, and preferably tower this instant." She turned back and gave a knot in her hair one last, mighty jerk, causing a chunk of it to come out and her to wince. With a wave of her hand, the hair was restored and the boy vanished, and she put her head down on the vanity and let the tears flow down her face.  
  
*~*  
  
Whoa. It would seem that Jumari DOES have a heart down there, deep down.  
  
Until next time, see ya! 


	13. Confrontations

Well, I've decided that I'm going to finish this story soon. I've gotten tired of waiting for reviews, so what I'm going to do is wrap it up in the next few chapters, and then leave you all hanging, except that I might e- mail the ending to those people who were kind enough to review. I'm starting writing this at 12:23 AM on Monday, December 29, so if it isn't up soon, it's because my mom limited the amount of time that I am allowed on the internet to an hour. I'm really very upset about this development. Also, she says that she's worried about me HAVING an account here, because, and I quote: "There are a lot of weirdoes out there who could stalk you.  
  
I mean, come on. Who'd want to stalk me? I'm just an ordinary kid, so there's really no reason to stalk me unless you REALLY are odd/off your rocker.  
  
Now, once again, the pairings. Now that you've been reading this story for quite some time, the characters should be pretty well ingrained into you by now, so the pairings are, of course, Haku/Chihiro, Jumari/Sky (just appeared in the last chapter). You've already seen the onesided Link/Chihiro, and I doubt that that is going to come up very much anymore, except for maybe a moment of angst at the wedding, which should be in just a few chapters (YAY!)  
  
On with the story!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
~*~  
  
Disclaimer- I only own Link, Nami, Jumari, Knoma, and Sky.  
  
~*~  
  
Chihiro awoke to find herself lying in a warm room with Haku on a chair next to the bed that she was lying on. She rubbed her temples, realizing that she had a splitting headache, and then wished she hadn't, for the noise she made when she moved her arm caused Haku to moan and open his eyes. He looked into hers for a moment, then smiled brightly.  
  
"Well, it would seem that the sleeping princess has awoken!" He laughed lightly, and she flushed as she realized just how good that laugh made her feel inside. She could feel a warm glow starting in her chest and working its way up to her face.  
  
"Where's Nami?" Instantly, she regretted the words, for she feared that they made her seem as though she was more concerned about Nami then she was about Haku, or Link. She enjoyed being around Nami, to be sure, but she just didn't feel the same way when she was with him as she did with Haku. The connection that she felt when they (that is Chihiro and Haku) where together was something far greater, and far more beautiful than anything else that she had ever felt.  
  
Haku looked at her with a warm sense of knowing in his eyes, and her fears abated almost instantly. "He's lying on the bed next to you. We think that he's going to be okay, on account of the fact that he landed in a deep snowdrift. He doesn't seem to have any broken bones or anything."  
  
Chihiro looked over to the other bed, where she saw Nami lying in his human form, his chest bared and the tunic on a chair across from the bed he was lying on (a/n- a little too redundant?). "Why is his shirt off?"  
  
"It was wet after his close encounter with the snow, so we figured it was better to have him half-naked than dead of a cold." He laughed again, and again she flushed as the familiar feeling rushed through her, like the very blood in her veins. She sat up, then winced as she felt all the blood rush to her head from where it had pooled inside her when she had been lying down. In an instant, Haku was by her side, holding onto her shoulders and giving her the support that only his presence could bring.  
  
"Thanks. I should be fine, I'm just a little dizzy."  
  
"Well, I would imagine that you are. You've been lying there without moving much for almost a day now." He laughed (yet again!).  
  
"A day?!?! What's happened while I was out of it?"  
  
"I don't know. I spent the entire time that you were out by your side, so I haven't the faintest idea what's been going on around here. What do you say we go and find out?"  
  
She nodded and he helped her get to her feet, then left the room so that she could get into a new change of clothes. Once she had finished, she opened the door and walked out, finding him looking out over the grounds.  
  
"What is it?" she questioned, noticing the odd look that he had on his face.  
  
"Well, it seems that there's someone stalking Jumari out there as she walks in the gardens." He looked at her, a smile visible behind his beautiful green eyes.  
  
"Stalking Jumari? Is that wise?"  
  
"I don't know. Come on, let's go see if we can find Knoma so that we can tell him about this."  
  
At that very moment, the door opened and Knoma walked in. "Looking for me?" he asked, clearly knowing that they had just been on their way to look for him. "What can I do for the two of you?"  
  
"Nothing right now," said Chihiro, "but you can tell us just who that is out there who is stalking your master even as we speak." Knoma walked to the window and peered outside, then turned away and cursed.  
  
"What is it?" Haku looked at him, clearly not having expected this particular response from him.  
  
"It's an old friend of hers. Sky Nightrider. He's the spirit of a star (hence the silver-white hair). They were in love long ago, longer than I can remember. She wanted him to commit to her, and he declared that he just wasn't ready to. He left her and broke her heart. He must have decided to come back and pick up where he left off." Knoma let out a short, harsh laugh. "Little does he know just how hard it is to pick up where you left off with her. She isn't one to forgive and forget. I've never in all my life known someone to hold a grudge for as long as she can." He looked back at them. "Do either of you feel up to having lunch? I don't think the kitchens are open right now, but I can have something brought up to my room."  
  
Chihiro nodded, and then she and Haku followed Knoma to his quarters. He lived on the 58th floor, and his quarters were breathtakingly beautiful. The first thing they noticed when they walked in was the fact that the entire room, and indeed, as they would later find out, all the rooms that made up his apartments, were made out of black marble with white veins of impurities running through them. When they asked him what the impurities where, he simply answered 'sunstone'. At this sudden revelation, Haku took in a sharp breath, and when questioned by Chihiro as to his reasons for the startled reaction, he replied that sunstone was the second most valuable jemstone in the spirit world, second only to the rainbow diamond, of which she had one on the engagement ring that he had given her.  
  
"The walls of this room are worth a god's ransom." He declared breathlessly. Knoma just shrugged it off and led them to the sitting room, which consisted of several comfortable sofa's and many artifacts from earlier dated hanging from the walls, as well as furniture and vases and other odd items standing on the ground. Haku was intrigued the moment he saw them, and instantly declared to Chihiro that she was standing amongst the finest collection of rare antiquities that he had ever seen.  
  
"We'll wait in her until the food comes, and then we can eat in the dining room."  
  
"How many rooms make up your apartment?" Chihiro asked, curious as to how much luxury someone like Jumari would give to her servants, even if they WERE her personal attendants.  
  
"About twelve," was his answer, and he looked away from them, seemingly embarrassed by something he had said. Haku let out a soft sound of sudden realization.  
  
"She gave you all this luxury because you were her lover, right?" he asked. Knoma nodded.  
  
"I'm not proud of it, and I wish that I had never agreed, but if I hadn't, she would have certainly killed me, and I'd rather be a whore than dead."  
  
Chihiro shook her head. "It would be far better for me to be dead than to not save myself for the one I love," she stated, a firm believer in her words. Haku looked at her with gratitude in his eyes.  
  
"Well, anyway, the food's here, so let's eat." Knoma led the way to the Dining room, where they all proceeded to stuff their faces.  
  
~*~  
  
Jumari walked slowly through the gardens, her heart aching with the pain that she was feeling over Sky's return. If only he had just stayed out of her life. Before he came back, things had seemed so much clearer, set in stone. Nothing was out of place, and there was nothing that threatened to destroy the walls that she had built up around herself.  
  
She walked over to a stone bench and sat down, burying her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to just let him start where they had left off so long ago? Was she supposed to allow him to tear down the walls that she had built up around her heart? She just wasn't sure of what to do anymore.  
  
Sky approached her cautiously, not wanting to upset her with his presence. He had been following her ever since she had entered the gardens, but he had not been able to muster up the courage to speak to her until now. He knew that if he was to get her to come around, he needed to leave her alone to think, but for some reason his heart just wouldn't allow him to do that.  
  
"Jumari?" She looked up, the fury that had once been in her eyes had been replaced by a look of utter desolation.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked, not really caring what his answer would be.  
  
"I just thought. . . maybe we could talk about things."  
  
"Talk about what?"  
  
"Well. . . about whether or not you're going to let me stay here. About whether or not you're going to let me pick up where we left off."  
  
"I told you before, I have no intention of picking up where we left off. We are over. End of discussion."  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"No. When you left me, I vowed never to allow another person to hurt me, ever again, and that includes you. I won't let you build me up just to let me down (song by the Foundations, from the sixties)."  
  
"I just needed some time to sort through my feelings."  
  
"You needed five hundred years to sort through your feelings." It was a statement and question mixed into one.  
  
"Well, no. I intended to come back before the year was through, but I kept getting waylaid. People kept asking me for help, and then I got in trouble with the spirit of a volcano and spent the next seventy years trying to stay away from him."  
  
"All right. That still doesn't explain why you didn't try to find some way to contact me."  
  
"I was afraid. I was afraid of what I felt for you, and afraid of what might happen if we ever WERE together. I didn't want to hurt you more than I did just by leaving."  
  
"So then you didn't know. . ."  
  
"What didn't I know?"  
  
"You didn't know. . . that I loved you. That by leaving, you were hurting me more than you possibly could otherwise."  
  
For the first time in his life, Sky was totally speechless.  
  
*~*  
  
Wow. This chapter was fun to write, and is like two thousand words, which doesn't hold cotton to my first chapter I ever wrote, but is still a significant achievement. Thanks so much for reading!  
  
If you don't have time to review, just tell me one of the following: Great, Good, Okay, Bad, or Go Jump Off A Cliff. 


	14. Sickness

Hey. Here's to hoping that I get into double digits when it come to reviews. I think that it's so cool that I've got at least ONE reviewer who makes up like six of those eight reviews that I've got. [you know who you are : )]  
  
Anyway, I don't need reviews just yet in order to finish this story. I think I know where I'm going to go with it, so all's well that ends well.  
  
Keetra- Yeah, I remember that you did say that you have no intention of updating Sea of Sapphires, but that's okay because I reviewed that one in particular because it is the only one of your fics that isn't finished. Don't worry, I'll get around to reviewing the rest of them sooner or later.  
  
Anyway, you all know that pairings, and so that means that without much further ado, I can give you the next chapter!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS, even when it doesn't seem that way. . .  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Disclaimer- I don't know why so many people hate to do these things. They aren't THAT bad, are they? Anyways, I. . . I. . . I don't. . . own. . . nothing. . . (wow, that was harder than I thought (choke))  
  
~*~  
  
Sky stood there, the snow swirling around him, unable to find words to make Jumari listen to him, to understand just how hard it was for him to leave her originally. He had never WANTED to leave, but had felt that it was necessary, as a relationship between him and her was not looking as though it was going to work out. There had been things that needed looking after, things that he had had to take care of. He had not meant to hurt her, he had assumed that when he came back she would still be there, waiting for him.  
  
Now that he looked back at it, the assumption had been foolish. It was not her duty to wait for him to come back to her. She had had every right to get on with her life.  
  
"I. . . never knew that it would hurt you that badly. If I had, I never would have left in the first place. I would never hurt you, nor would I ever let you down. Surely you must know that after all the time that we spent together." She just stared at him, then got up and ran off through the tall hedges, quickly disappearing. He stood there for a few more minutes, then sat down on the bench to think.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro and Haku made their way back to the room, where they found that Nami had awoken, and was now flushed and shivering.  
  
"I'm. . . hot. . . and cold. . . at the same time," he said with a question in his voice. "What's wrong with me," he added weakly.  
  
"You fell a long ways, and spent a lot of time in the snow." Chihiro walked over to the bed and put the back of her hand to his forehead. "Wow. You're really hot (a/n- not THAT way). I think you must have a fever."  
  
"Am I going to die?" (a/n- see, the thing is, spirits don't get sick all that often, and it just happens that this is the first time that Nami has gotten sick. I mean, come on, he'd never even seen someone crack their knuckles before!)  
  
"Of course not." This time it was Haku who was speaking, looking at Nami with a smirk on his face. "You're not dying, you're just sick. It's natural."  
  
"I feel so bad."  
  
"Well, of course you do. You're running a temp."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"It's where your body temperature is higher than it normally is. It's just a natural function of your immune system, so don't worry about it." Chihiro pushed him on the shoulder so that he fell back into the bed. "Just rest here for a while. We'll see to it that you get some food."  
  
She got up off the bed and led Haku out of the room, where she turned to face him.  
  
"What's the normal temperature range for spirits?"  
  
Haku looked at her, confusion evident in his eyes.  
  
"Just answer the question."  
  
"Well, I'd say around a hundred and two point seven. That's give or take a few points. Why?"  
  
"Because even without a thermometer I can tell that he's got to be over a hundred and five. I'd say around a hundred and ten, but that can't be right. If he was running a temperature that bad, he'd be dying."  
  
Haku suddenly started, as though realizing something. "Well, I heard that a spirit isn't in trouble until their temperature reaches a hundred and fifteen, so he should be all right. He's just a little higher than normal. There's no reason to get worried."  
  
Chihiro looked back at him, her glance penetrating him to his very core. Finally, she seemed satisfied that what he said was the truth, so she turned back and went into the room. Nami had fallen asleep again, his flushed face contrasting the white of the pillow in which it lay.  
  
"Haku, could you go to the kitchens and ask them for something to eat?"  
  
"Sure. What should I ask for?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Just ask for ramen. That should hold him for a while. If they have any chicken noodle soup; that would probably help too." She walked over to the bed and stared down at the pitiful figure lying in front of her. "Pity they don't have things like aspirin here in the spirit world. It would do him a world of good."  
  
Haku turned and walked out of the room and down to the kitchens, where he was amazed to find that he could see the spirits working there. Throughout the rest of the tower, the spirits who serviced the rooms were invisible, and so did not get in the way ever. Here, however, he found himself looking upon all manner of spirits, from frogs to wolves to cats to birds, they flocked around in a constant bustle of activity, working and slaving to make the food that would be eaten by the inhabitants of the tower. The moment he entered the kitchens, however, all the commotion and activity ceased, and all eyes turned towards him.  
  
"I. . . I'm just here for some soup," he stammered, a bit unnerved by the penetrating glances he was receiving from the spirits that surrounded him.  
  
One of the spirits quickly approached him carrying a bowl of piping hot soup, while another came with a loaf of bread, and still another with a steaming cup of tea. They gave him the items, then pushed him out the door, all being done without as much as a word between them. Once outside the door, Haku scratched his head in bewilderment, and then headed back to the rooms. As he headed up the stairs, he ran into Knoma, who had a rather preoccupied look upon his face. He was walking with his head down, muttering unintelligible words to himself as he hastened in the general direction of the kitchens.  
  
"I wouldn't go there if I were you," Haku said, giving him a quick smile.  
  
"Huh? What? Oh, it's you. What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I was just down there, and it seemed to me that the servants in there didn't want to be bothered by anyone. They were quick to give me the door."  
  
"Oh, well, see, the thing is Jumari placed a curse on them. They used to inhabit a village not far from the tower, but when an evil demon was besieging the tower, she called for their help, and they refused to come to her aide. With my help, she defeated the threat, but then she placed a curse on them that robbed them of their freedom as well as speech, so that they must serve her for all eternity. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are urgent matters that I MUST attend to IMMEDIATELY." The stress that he put into his words caused Haku to get out of his way quickly and allow him to move on.  
  
{I wonder what that was about} Haku thought to himself as he walked back into the room and handed the food and drink to Chihiro. Nami had once again awoken, so she carefully fed him the soup, and gave him the tea to drink. Once he finished, he once again drifted off into a feverish sleep.  
  
*~*  
  
I know that this chapter was shorter than the other, but I did what I could, and I'm also very sorry if there wasn't as much action in this chapter. I'm still trying to develop certain characters, and trying to explain a little more about Jumari's past.  
  
Please, keep reading and reviewing! 


	15. Hero

Attention all readers. I am about to go into a rant, so if you do not enjoy reading rants, STAY OUT!  
  
WHY IS IT THAT THERE ARE NO COMPLETED FLUFF MOVIES OUT THERE? EVERY MOVIE THAT EXISTS THAT COULD EVEN BEGIN TO BE CALLED A FLUFF MOVIE HAVE, AT SOME POINT, THE TWO PEOPLE ALMOST LOSING EACH OTHER. WHY IS IT THAT THEY CAN'T JUST BEGIN, CONTINUE, AND END WITH FLUFF, FLUFF, AND MORE FLUFF? IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY HERE. IS IT JUST ME OR DOES HOLLYWOOD THINK THAT THEY WOULDN'T MAKE ANY MONEY ON SUCH A MOVIE? I KNOW THAT I WOULD GO TO IT!  
  
There. I think that that was enough ranting for one day. I sincerely hope that I have not scared away my readers with my ranting.  
  
Anyways, this particular chapter is going to be dedicated to my friend, Crazy Mary, who, contrary to popular opinion, is NOT as crazy as she seems, she's just like me, in fact, except that she's forty-nine and I'm sixteen.  
  
So, anyway, thanks for reading! LOL  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own nothing.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Knoma wasn't sure that he liked what was going on. It seemed to him that Jumari was weakening in her resolve not to get re-involved with Sky. She had asked Knoma to arrange for the kitchens to make an especially good supper for her and Sky, that was to be delivered up to her quarters. That was where he was heading now, down to the kitchens to get them started on the very supper that might mean his doom. He had never gotten along with Sky, and if he got involved with Jumari again, he, that is, Knoma, would probably be thrown out of his place of service.  
  
This was something that he most assuredly did NOT want to come around.  
  
Once he had gotten the kitchens started on the meal, he made off for Haku, Nami, and Chihiro's rooms, where he hoped that he could talk to the boys for a while. He wanted them to help him sabotage Sky's efforts to make up with Jumari, which he in turn hoped would cause her to once again notice him. It was not without apprehension, however, that he considered working such a plan all the way to its ends, for conspiring against ANYONE that Jumari held in esteem was dangerous, to say the least.  
  
Heaven forbid she should find out about his plans. He knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in." It was Chihiro's voice that he heard, and he cautiously entered, not wanting to disturb the inhabitants. It was, after all, rather late at night, and he was sure that, if no one else was, Nami would be sleeping.  
  
"I just wanted to talk to Haku and Link. I thought that I might find them here," he said, worried that they might be off somewhere else, in which case he would have to spend almost half the night looking for them.  
  
Chihiro got up and walked over to the door to Nami's room. "They're in there, but I don't know if they're asleep or not."  
  
"Oh. Well, in that case, don't bother. I don't want to disturb them." Chihiro, being a girl, almost instantly realized that there was something wrong, so she did the only thing that she knew how to do.  
  
"Would you like to sit down and talk to me about it?"  
  
"Well, I don't want to impose, but if it's not too much trouble, then yes, I would very much appreciate it if you would lend a helping ear."  
  
"I would be glad to." Chihiro walked back over to the couch and sat down, motioning for him to do the same. "What's on your mind?"  
  
"Well, it's just this old friend of Jumari's. We don't get along very well, and if he ever does start up the relationship again, I could be in a lot of danger."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't worry about that so much. From what we've seen, it doesn't seem as though Jumari has any intention of letting him get close to her again."  
  
"But see, that's the very crux of the problem. Just before I came, I was putting in her order to the kitchens for a dinner for two up in her personal dining room. If that isn't a sign that they're already getting closer, than I don't know what is."  
  
"Don't you suppose that it could be just a formal, usual sign of common courtesy between a host and her guest?"  
  
"I considered that, but if it was, then they would be having the dinner in the state dining room, instead of a personal one. She almost never allows anyone but those she trusts to so much as enter her quarters, much less eat in them." He sighed. "I guess this is just my destiny. I mean, it almost happened once, maybe it was just fated to happen, and I just escaped it the first time."  
  
Chihiro looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. "If there's one thing that I've learned through this ordeal that we've been through, it's that destiny cannot do anything when you decide to make it yourself. If you truly want something enough, there's not one power in the spirit, physical, or any other world for that matter that can say no."  
  
Knoma stood up, looking away. "Well, I've got to be getting on with my duties. Maybe we can finish this talk sometime else." Chihiro nodded, and he walked out of the room.  
  
Once outside safely, he put his fist into the wall, making a huge dent, then walked away, not feeling better in the least.  
  
*~*  
  
Haku sat in the room next to the one in which Chihiro sat, and as he sat, a song began to escape his lips.  
  
*~*  
  
Would you dance if I asked you to dance  
  
Would you run and never look back  
  
Would you cry if you saw me crying  
  
Would you save my soul tonight?  
  
*~*  
  
As he sang, Chihiro walked into the room, then stopped as she saw the tears in his eyes. She slowly walked over to where he was sitting on the floor, then sank next to him, putting her arms around his shoulders.  
  
*~*  
  
Would you tremble if I touched your lips  
  
Would you laugh? Oh, please tell me this  
  
Now would you die for the one you love  
  
Hold me in your arms tonight.  
  
*~*  
  
Then Chihiro began to sing  
  
*~*  
  
I can be your hero, baby  
  
I can kiss away the pain  
  
I will stand by you forever  
  
You take my breath away  
  
*~*  
  
Haku began to cry even harder, but between the sobs, he started to sing again.  
  
*~*  
  
Would you swear that you'll always be mine?  
  
Would you lie, would you run away?  
  
Am I in too deep?  
  
Have I lost my mind?  
  
I don't care if you're here tonight  
  
*~*  
  
Then together, both crying, tears flowing down both faces, they sang, in perfect harmony.  
  
*~*  
  
I can be your hero baby  
  
I can kiss away the pain  
  
I will stand by you forever  
  
You can take my breath away  
  
*~*  
  
I just want to hold you  
  
I just want to hold you  
  
Am I in too deep?  
  
Have I lost my mind?  
  
Well, I don't care if you're here tonight  
  
*~*  
  
I can be your hero baby  
  
I can kiss away the pain  
  
I will stand by you forever  
  
You can take my breath away  
  
*~*  
  
I can be your hero baby  
  
I can kiss away the pain  
  
I will stand by you forever  
  
You can take my breath away  
  
*~*  
  
You can take my breath away  
  
You can be my hero  
  
*~*  
  
That scene had me in tears. The song that I used was Hero by Enrique Iglesias.  
  
Please, Read and Review! 


	16. Healing

Keetra:  
  
Your review was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO funny. As my friend Paul says, I haven't gut laughed like that in a long time. I laughed and then I laughed some more, and then some more, and more and more and more! That was earlier. I just read your new review! Namaste!  
  
Sure, go ahead and stalk me. Good authors should ALWAYS be stalked by other good authors. That's just the way that America works. LOL.  
  
Anyways, this particular chapter goes out to you, because I want it to, and because there will be some fun action stuff in it.  
  
And by the way, YES, Haku has been feeling slight misgivings. I mean, come on. Wouldn't you? You're about to sign your life away! Once finished, there's no going back, mainly because I HATE divorce. The song was Hero by Enrique Iglesias.  
  
The reason that there was no action in the past like, two chapters was because I needed to develop certain characters. It's called character development! :D  
  
Anyways, yet again, this chapter goes out to Keetra, thank you so much for reviewing! I assure you, writing this would be MUCH harder without you there to help me.  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Knoma proceeded to Jumari's quarters, grumbling to himself all the way. Had you been a fly on the walls, you might have heard words like: Sky, bastard, bitch, idiots, stupid, destiny, torture, suicide, insanity, murder, kill, and many other fun things. Suffice it to say he was NOT in a good mood.  
  
Things were not looking good for Jumari's little dinner party.  
  
I certainly don't have to tell you what he intended to do when he got there.  
  
He walked down the corridors, elaborately plotting a strategy to make Jumari hate Sky, and a plot to go with that one, this one to get Jumari to notice HIM again. He passed several carts laden with some of the best food available, delicacies such as basilisk, phoenix, unicorn, and dragon. Haku would be furious if he saw them. The carts seemed to be pushing themselves down the halls, but he knew all to well that there were invisible servants pushing them, so he stopped his quiet ranting and passed by without them suspecting a thing. He proceeded to the elevator, which he shared with a tray floating about shoulder high. He ignored it, and rode up to the correct floor, getting off without so much as acknowledging the tray's presence.  
  
He walked swiftly down the hallway, empty with only one door, and that at the far end. The hall itself was totally void of furnishings, except for a single tapestry that covered one wall. The tapestry depicted a long forgotten legend, one in which a spirit and a dragon had battled for three days for the fate of the human world. The scene that was depicted in the tapestry showed the spirit thrusting his shining sword into the breast of the dragon as it thrashed above him, blasting fire from its mouth.  
  
He walked to the door at the far end and entered without knocking. Inside was a long table, at which sat Jumari, being at the head, and next to her, Sky. Knoma released a glare that would have frozen anyone weaker into stone. Sky merely smiled and asked him to bring him some more sake.  
  
With a smile plastered onto his face, he complied, pouring just enough to cover the bottom of the cup. Once again, Sky smiled and requested more, so Knoma poured about another thimble-full into the cup and walked away. For a second, Sky's smile faltered, then it returned stronger than ever and he turned to Jumari, who was staring intently at him.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"No," she replied, blushing. "It's just that you look rather nice in that tunic." It was true. Sky cut a truly dashing figure in the tunic, it having been woven of silver and created by the seamstresses to the east, the finest in the spirit world. He smiled at her even more, then turned back to his dinner. It was a mixture of Rainbow Fish and Phoenix, with a small pile of the best ramen in the spirit world off to the side, and a basket of rolls. In all his years as Jumari's consort, Knoma had never eaten that well, and Sky was practically ignoring the food.  
  
Knoma was really starting to get ticked off. He walked into a side room, where the desserts lay out on a platter which rested on a silver and mahogany cart. He carefully sprinkled sand into the plate that would be going to Sky. (a/n- in case you didn't know, sand was a common method of assassination way back when)  
  
He smiled. Suddenly, a call from Sky caused him to straighten and return to the dining room. Sky was once again asking for more sake, and this time, Knoma filled his cup to the brink. Sky looked at him rather suspiciously, but sipped the drink and nodded his thanks.  
  
Once again, Knoma smiled.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro and Haku lay on the floor, his arm draped over her shoulders and his legs intangled in hers (a/n- no, they didn't DO anything, they just fell asleep next to each other and arranged themselves in their sleep) Nami was once again awake and watching them, a broad smile on his face. He was going to have so much fun when they woke up.  
  
"Mmmmm. I don't want. . . to get up. . . so comfortable." Haku was speaking in his sleep. "Yeah. . . she IS beautiful, isn't she." Nami stifled a giggle. Boy, this would be perfect material for blackmail, if only he had some way of recording it.  
  
Haku and Chihiro's eyes both opened at roughly the same time, they looked at each other, then scrambled to get away, both thinking the exact same thing.  
  
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!  
  
Only, Chihiro didn't just think it, she said it out loud, and when the word loud is used, the word loud is meant.  
  
"Well, you were both kind of woke me up last night, you were making so much noise."  
  
Chihiro felt her face flush, and she looked away so that neither of them would see it.  
  
"We. . . didn't. . . DO anything, did we?" Nami felt himself about to answer hell yeah, then decided against it.  
  
"No, but you certainly COULD have. I sure wouldn't have minded." He grinned at them, and Haku grabbed a pillow on the floor and threw it at him. Nami laughed out loud, and Haku glared daggers at him.  
  
"Listen, we aren't doing ANYTHING until we're married. Except maybe making out," he added as an after thought. "That's perfectly okay." He stood up and walked over to the window and threw open the blinds.  
  
Chihiro shrieked as the light flashed into the room, blinding all of them. Haku quickly shut the blinds again, then they all spent the next few minutes standing around blinking and looking like idiots. Once they got their sight back, they walked into the living room where they found that Knoma had arranged for breakfast to be served. There were all sorts of fun dishes, which Chihiro figured were leftover from the private meal the night before. (a/n- here's the deal. I'm jumping forward in the timeline to the next morning after the dinner scene, then I intend to jump BACK to the dinner scene again, for the second half of the ill fated dinner. If it's that hard to follow, review me so that I can have a good laugh at your expense) They ate in silence, then went and got dressed for the day ahead.  
  
Chihiro and Haku walked Nami to the elevators and then told him that they'd be down at the hot springs that provided the inhabitants of the tower with warm baths. They intended to get some of the wedding planning done.  
  
From upstairs, yelling could be faintly heard.  
  
*~*  
  
Knoma brought out the desserts, being VERY careful to put the correct dish in front of Sky. He then gave Jumari her dish, and walked into the darkest corner of the room to watch what would happen.  
  
Jumari was first to take a bite of her dish, and she smiled, declaring that it was excellent. Sky then took a bite of his, and choked. Jumari stood up quickly, upsetting most of the dishes in her way as she leaned over to see what was the matter with him. He gasped and then collapsed onto the floor, his breath ragged and coming out in shorter and shorter gasps. Almost instantly, Knoma was at his side, energy flowing from his palms as he attempted ( :D ) to cleanse him from the impurities that were even then racing through his veins, attacking his vital organs and making mincemeat of his stomach and esophagus.  
  
Jumari knelt by Knoma, but since she had no experience in healing, all she could do was stay where she was holding onto his hand.  
  
Knoma's eyes glazed over as he frantically attempted to destroy each and every one of the grains of sand in Sky, making sure that in his panic he didn't miss a single one. Sweat was pouring down his brow, a poor testament to the agony that he had to go through just to heal him. Healing always took a lot out of him, but this particular one was much harder than usual, since there were so many separate focuses for his power to concentrate on.  
  
At long last, the deed was done. All of the sand had been destroyed, and Sky was once again breathing easy. Knoma placed him into a healing trance so as to allow the damaged parts of his internal organs to repair themselves. He then sat back, collapsing onto the floor, exhausted by the effort.  
  
Jumari reached out and took his hand, her gratitude showing in her eyes.  
  
For that moment, all was well with the world.  
  
*~*  
  
Well, I didn't leave you with a cliffhanger! Aren't you happy?  
  
Of course you are. I can read it in your eyes, as well as your reviews!  
  
By the way, I've gotten sick of my summary of this story, so I'm changing it. Just a note.  
  
Read and Review! 


	17. Planning

This is for those of you who were not able to realize why I put the song at the end of chapter sixteen, which, by the way, has been called my best chapter by a very kind reviewer. Here's the deal. Haku overheard what Knoma was saying to Chihiro, and as a result, he began to wonder if things like that would happen when he became attached to Chihiro. Chihiro realized this when she heard the words to the song, and so her part in the song is basically reassuring Haku that she will never let anything come between them. If there was too much crying, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it, that's just the way that the chapter turned out.  
  
*~*  
  
Now, to answer Keetra's question. Why'd he save Sky? It's all part of his master plot. By saving Sky, he's kind of endeared himself to Jumari, as well as putting him in the position where Sky owns him his life. Rather brilliant, neh? Of course. I'M brilliant. Therefore, the master plots of my characters must be brilliant as well. Still, things may go awry for Knoma. You never know. (hint, hint) But yes, Sky did deserve to die. In fact, he still does. Don't worry, things will work out.  
  
*~*  
  
By the way, if you DON'T keep on reading, I'll start to stalk you!  
  
*~*  
  
Floor instead of the bed? That's an easy one. THEY WERE TIRED! Too tired to even get onto the bed, which makes it even funnier that they might have considered it a possibility that they were fooling around!  
  
*~*  
  
And I got a fun laugh at your expense! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  
  
LOL!  
  
*~*  
  
YAY! I'm so happy! I finally hit double digits on reviews! Never mind that I only got one new one. (reviewer, that is) Namaste, Sachairi! I hope that you enjoy this chapter, because it's going to go out to you! YAY!  
  
This is a happy day for me. I don't know why, but it is. I have a good family, a good house, lots of food, friends, and reviewers!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Disclaimer- Who started this? I mean, this IS fanfiction.net. So, really, we shouldn't need a disclaimer, right? Anyways, I don't own Spirited Away.  
  
*~*  
  
It was the next morning. (I know that that's a bad way to start a chapter, but bear with me) Haku and Chihiro made their way to one of the more remote sitting areas that were situated sporadically around the tower with the intention to make some of the plans for the wedding more final. They found a secluded spot, and sat down.  
  
"Now, who are we going to invite?" Haku asked, pulling a sheet of paper from out of his pocket.  
  
"I was thinking of inviting all of our friends from Aburaya, just the close ones, and Zenniba and No-Face." She paused as Haku wrote the names down. "I also was kind of thinking that we could invite my parents, if there's any way of getting them here." Haku stopped writing and started to think. It would take some work to get her parents to the tower, but he supposed that it could be done.  
  
"All right. I'll see what I can do. Who do we want to marry us?"  
  
Chihiro thought about that for a minute. "I'd say probably Zenniba. She's the only one that I can think of."  
  
Haku suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Why don't we get the arch-mage to do it? I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He does things like this all the time."  
  
"Who's the arch-mage?" Chihiro asked, confusion evident on her face.  
  
"He's the chief of all of the sorcerers that live in the spirit world. It's up to him to decide who can marry who, and whether or not a certain spell should be made illegal. Things like that."  
  
Chihiro though about the idea. After all, she was a sorceress, so the idea made perfect sense. "All right. He can do it."  
  
"Now, we already have a best man, so who's going to be the maid of honor?"  
  
Chihiro didn't even need to think about that for a minute. "Rin," she said with a definite finality about her voice.  
  
"And the bridesmaids?"  
  
"Zenniba and Yubaba." Haku looked at her.  
  
"Sorry, but at one point Yubaba used to be married. How else do you think that she was able to have her child?"  
  
"So, then who are we going to get to be the other bridesmaid?"  
  
"How about Jumari?"  
  
"You know, that's not a bad. . . no. I won't have that witch being one of my bridesmaids. I guess that we'll just have to deal with just having one."  
  
*~*  
  
Meanwhile, upstairs. . .  
  
*~*  
  
Sky awoke to find himself lying on a bed in a darkened room. At his bedside sat Jumari, who seemed relieved to see him get up.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I got run over by a rampaging kraken." (a/n- it's an inside joke. Our mythology J-term class just finished watching Clash of the Titans)  
  
"Well, that's a rather common feeling for the patient once the healing is finished."  
  
"Who healed me?" He looked around, but didn't see anyone else in the room.  
  
"Knoma. You must have choked on something. I can't think of anything else that would explain why you suddenly started choking like that. It's a good thing that Knoma was there and knows some rudimentary healing, or you wouldn't be here right now."  
  
Sky had a rather skeptical look on his face, which suddenly turned thoughtful. "Yes. A VERY good thing."  
  
Jumari stood up. "I'm going to have to get back to work. I planned on staying here until you were up, but after that I knew that I had to get back to work. I'll have Knoma come in and check on you soon." She walked to the door, then turned, seeming about to say something, then apparently changed her mind. She walked out the door, and Sky collapsed into his bed and began to plot his revenge. He had been made to look stupid in front of HIS girl, and that meant that someone would have to pay.  
  
That someone was going to be Knoma.  
  
Still, there was the matter of him owing his life to the bastard. It wasn't like he could just openly kill him. That would violate his debt, as well as cause Jumari to second think their relationship. No, he had to be discreet. How could he do it? Poison would work. Then there was always the possibility of getting Jumari to think that Knoma was plotting to kill her, and then he could just sit back and allow Jumari to take care of the rest of it. Yes, that was a rather good idea. He would do that, and see where it led.  
  
Now, how to do it. His best idea was to slit his wrists just after Knoma came in to take care of him. Then, all he had to do was wait for Jumari to discover him, and things would progress from there.  
  
*~*  
  
Knoma walked down the hallway to Sky's room. He had with him a bowl of soup and a cup filled with sake. This cup was unusual. The inside of the brim was smeared with a slow acting venom that would kill Sky within forty eight hours of him drinking it.  
  
Yes, all was good with the world.  
  
*~*  
  
Not as good a chapter as my others, but it'll have to do. Now, I have a question that I want to put to the reviewers. I have two ideas where I want this fic to go.  
  
Idea number 1-  
  
At the wedding, an unknown entity crashes it and makes off with Chihiro, forcing Haku to go after her. This idea would cause the fic to continue for a significantly longer time, and might give rise to another story, which would mean that this would become the Torture Trilogy. TT in other words. The focus of the story moves from the dark tower to Haku and Chihiro romance.  
  
Idea number 2-  
  
Haku and Chihiro are married. Sky and Knoma fight each other by way of assassination attempts, and come close to killing each other several times. The last torture that I'm going to have you read about is shown. Something happens to Link. The story ends.  
  
*~*  
  
These are my ideas. Please review and tell me which one you want to see. 


	18. Murder

Well, I know that it's been a long time since I last updated. For that, I am truly sorry, and hope that you will all accept my apologies. I was merely waiting for people to review and tell me which of the two ideas they liked better. Also, I happened to fall victim to a severe case of writers block. I know, I should have just forced myself to keep on writing, but then you have to consider that I'm back in school, and that means that it's going to be harder and harder for me to update. Anyways, I am very sorry that it took me this long to update, and I hope that it won't happen again.  
  
So here's the next chapter of Pools of Torment!  
  
Writing for HIS glory ALWAYS  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri  
  
*~*  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own Spirited Away. If you sue me, I'll have my dad kick your lawyers butt in court.  
  
*~*  
  
That night, Sky died.  
  
To say that Jumari was upset would have been a severe understatement. She knew all too well that he had been improving quickly, and when someone is improving, they don't just suddenly turn up dead. She tore through the tower in a rage, screaming and yelling at anyone who had the misfortune to cross her path. Enraged, she began to search for clues that might tell her who it was that killed her beloved.  
  
Finally, she was able to calm down enough to reach the conclusion that it had to have been Knoma who killed him, for he had been the last person to be seen entering or leaving his room. She walked slowly, each step causing her to become more furious than she had been on the last. By the time she reached his room, she was mad enough to kill him right then and there.  
  
She opened the door without knocking, finding Knoma sitting in one of his chairs gazing forward with a blank expression on his face. She walked over to him and slapped him hard across the face. His body slumped over, and for the first time she saw the dagger that had been pinning him upright against the chair. He was dead.  
  
It was later said that the enraged shriek that she had released at that moment could be heard all of fifty miles away by those on the train. Needless to say, those who were presently housed in the tower had absolutely no trouble hearing it, and they all hastened to the source.  
  
Chihiro was the first of the group to arrive at Knoma's room. She entered, then sank back against the wall, tears filling her eyes. Moments later, Haku and Link showed up. Haku immediately walked over to the chair and put his hand over Knoma's heart.  
  
"He's alive, but only barely," he announced. Chihiro let out the breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, for the first time since entering the room and seeing Knoma's body she felt that there might be hope.  
  
"I have some rudimentary healing skills, but I'm not sure that they'll be enough to heal a wound as bad as this one," she declared, also walking over to where Knoma sat slumped in the chair. She placed a hand over the wound, shivering as she stemmed the flow of blood with her palm, then allowed herself to sink deeply into a trance that she hoped would allow her to heal the young man in front of her. The others stood back as she went slack, her eyes glazing over, then they noticed a small and thin amount of skin begin to flow over the open wound. Finally, the wound was closed, and Chihiro fell into Haku's waiting arms. She was exhausted by the effort that the healing had required, and now she knew that all she could do was rest and hope that her efforts had been enough.  
  
Jumari stayed at Knoma's side throughout the entire time that he remained in the comatose state. Chihiro had explained that he would seem as one of the dead for a while, but that was only evidence that the healing trance that she had put him in was working. As long as he remained in that state, he would be healing himself from the inside out. Still, she warned, he could easily take a turn for the worse, since a wound like the wound he had sustained was not to be predicted, it could go either way. They would know within twenty-four hours whether he would live or die.  
  
Finally, at noon the next day, Knoma awoke from the healing trance. He found himself lying in his bedroom on the bed, and the only thing that he could remember from the night before was him sitting in the chair, and then the sudden pain that had ushered him into a pitch dark that he found himself drowning in. He had never gotten a good look at his attacker, but he had a good idea as to who it was. The only person in the tower that wanted him dead was Sky, and he would have been strong enough to leave his bed just long enough to make it to Knoma's quarters and back. He grinned. Whether Sky had made it to his quarters or not, there could be no doubt he was dead as a result of the poison that Knoma had watched him drink.  
  
He turned his head and found himself looking at Jumari, sitting in a chair, her head in her hands as she slept peacefully. He grimaced. It would be a bit of a bother trying to explain to her why he had killed her boyfriend, even with the clear fact that Sky had done his best to kill him. The odds were fairly good that Jumari wasn't going to believe anyone who told her that Sky was anything but a dashing knight in shining armor. She certainly wasn't going to believe that her beloved was trying to kill her former lover.  
  
Then again, it didn't seem that far fetched to him.  
  
Maybe if he was careful enough, she would believe him. If that was the case, then he might just make it out of this predicament alive.  
  
Anyway, there was absolutely no harm in trying. He carefully elevated himself into a sitting position, ignoring the shooting pain that lanced its way through his chest. He softly spoke her name, hoping that it would be enough to wake her up. He desperately wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.  
  
She stirred, but her eyes didn't open, and she just settled herself back into the chair. He sighed, then spoke her name again, this time a little louder. Once again she stirred, and once again she slipped back into the enticing arms of slumber.  
  
He settled himself back into the pillow and waited for her to awake. 


	19. Weddings

Well, here it is, the last chapter in this, the second book of the Torture Trilogy. As a result of the couple of reviews that I got, it seemed to me that the readers unanimously wanted the first idea, so that's what I'm going with. And Keetra, you are basically right. I had reached an impasse with the story, and there wasn't much action until Sky died *YAY*.  
  
Thank you, all of my wonderful reviewers who I will name at the end of this chapter, that is, all of the reviewers who reviewed this story in particular. If you want to find the third story, keep an eye on my bio page, or the first page of the SA fics. This is bound to be a long chapter, and it will be the first chapter for quite some time in this particular series that has had what could truly be called action. Just keep reading and see exactly what I mean.  
  
Keetra- yeah, I often insert myself into other people's stories that I enjoy, and, like you said, you can get a lot of weird stuff doing that.  
  
Also, I was just wondering, when an author says that their fic is an AU, what exactly does that mean? Maybe I'm just completely clueless or something.  
  
*~*  
  
Jumari sighed deeply, then her eyes fluttered and opened. She found herself staring into the open eyes of the young man lying on the bed. Her eyes opening wider, she sat up and glared at him.  
  
"What the hell did you think that you were doing to Sky," she demanded, the fire in her eyes growing. Realizing that at this point, his best option was just to stay quiet, Knoma said nothing.  
  
"I mean, it was bad enough that you fought with him at every chance, but killing him? How could you? I'll have you know that I really enjoyed him."  
  
"What it seems to me that you don't understand is that I really had NO choice in the matter. If I hadn't killed him, he'd have certainly killed me. As it was, you see that I barely made it out of this escapade with my life intact."  
  
"So?"  
  
Knoma didn't answer. He was to busy gaping at Jumari who was looking at him with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Anyways, you're basically better, and the wedding for Chihiro and Haku is this afternoon, and they asked me to convey to you their desire that you be there. So I'll just leave you to find something appropriate to wear to the occasion."  
  
"And what, pray tell, are you wearing?"  
  
"Me?" Jumari asked incredulously. "Why do you care? I'll have you know that it's a secret. Not even the bride and groom know the outfit that I've chosen for the occasion."  
  
Knoma looked at her, then groaned. "It had BETTER not be another one of your black dresses. Weddings are supposed to be happy occasions, not depressing ones."  
  
"There's no need to worry about that. I think, in fact, I'm sure that you'll be very impressed with the ensemble." Jumari stood and made her way over to the door. She turned around just before reaching it and sent Knoma a glare that would have melted steel. "If you don't show up for the wedding, I swear I'll kill you with my bare hands." She turned back around, opened the door, and then was gone. The door shut with a click, and Knoma fell back into the pillow, heaving a sigh. This was going to be a long day.  
  
*~*  
  
Chihiro hummed as she carefully braided her hair. Since it had been almost two months since she had returned to the spirit world, her hair had grown from shoulder length to almost halfway down her back. As she sat in front of the ancient vanity, she heard the door open and then close. Without turning around, she found that she knew who it was.  
  
"Back from the torture session already?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah. For some reason, they didn't go for the usual two hours," Link said, stepping closer. "Here, let me help you with that." He reached out and took her hair into his hands, deftly winding it into a perfect braid. He reached down and took a golden hair tie, one that had been made especially for the occasion by No-Face, and used it to tie the hair together. "There. A beautiful hair job for the most beautiful girl in the world. Have you decided what dress you're going to wear yet?"  
  
"Yes, in fact, I was about to put it on now," Chihiro said, getting to her feet and walking over to the closet from which she removed a magnificent and shimmering white dress. "If you don't mind, do you think you could go get Zenniba and my mother to help me put it on?"  
  
"Sure. Do you know where they are?"  
  
"Well, Zenniba and Yubaba are almost certainly down in the kitchens overseeing the creation of the cake that will be used at the reception. They haven't let anyone see it yet, and if anyone so much as sets foot in the kitchens, they get chased out with fire at their heels."  
  
"And your mother?"  
  
"I think that she's down in the great hall making sure that no one makes any mistakes with the decorations." Link nodded and left Chihiro to her thoughts. She walked over to the seat next to the picture window in her room and sat down, gazing out over the vast sparkling white field that seemed to stretch out endlessly from the base of the tower. Snow flakes were swirling around in the wind, making the day one of the most beautiful that she had ever seen.  
  
After a little while, a knock came on the door, and she called out for the person to enter. They did, and when she turned around, she saw her mother.  
  
"Mom!" she exclaimed, still overwhelmed at the job Haku and Jumari had done in getting her parents into the spirit world and explaining to them where they were. From what she had been told, at first they hadn't taken too well to the idea that they had literally left the world that they had known all their life. Something like that isn't just accept right away. It takes time to warm up to the idea that you aren't even in the same world as you were a moment ago. Still, after a couple of days, they had finally gotten used to the strange comings and goings of the inhabitants of the tower, as well as to the idea that their little girl was marrying someone who, to their knowledge, they had never met before. Chihiro and Haku had decided together that they wouldn't tell them about the first visit to the spirit world, thinking that it would be giving them too much to digest at one time.  
  
Chihiro's mother walked over to her and hugged her.  
  
"All right dear. Now, if you stand up, we'll see if we can't get you into this dress properly." Together, they arranged it on the floor so that all Chihiro would have to do would be to step into it. She did so, and she and her mother both pulled it up over her shoulders, arranging it so that it was comfortable and rode well on her. The dress seemed to flow down off her like a cascading silver waterfall. It showed off just enough of her slender figure to be considered seemly, but not too much as to be considered indecent. Chihiro had asked Zenniba and No-Face to make one for her, and the job that they had done had easily surpassed anything that she had ever seen before. As her mother laced it up in back, Chihiro heard her sniff, and was instantly alarmed.  
  
"What's wrong, mom?" she asked, turning around to look at her.  
  
"It's just, you're going off and getting married, and there's nothing I can do about it. You've grown up so fast, I feel like I've missed half of your life." She smiled through her tears. "Don't worry, I'll get over it. What's important is that you're the one who's happy. As long as you love this Haku, then I suppose I have to trust your judgement. I just wish that we had had a little more time together."  
  
Chihiro looked at her mom, feeling tears welling up in her own eyes (sorry Keetra). "Mom, it's not like once I get married, I can't visit you or be around you. I'll come back home whenever I can. I'm just taking the next step in the process of growing up. I still love you and dad, but I love Haku as well, and so I want to be with him. I promise that I won't just forget about you when I'm with him." She turned away, picking up the comb and once again taking her hair into her hands. "Do you think that I should wear it in a braid like this, or put it up, or make a ponytail or what?" She looked back at her mom, who smiled.  
  
"I can't say I know. I've never seen you with your hair this long, but I must say, it looks wonderful when it's down. That's just my opinion, you need to do whatever you think is right."  
  
Chihiro laughed. "Thanks a lot, mom. I should have known better than to ask your opinion about something like that. You never seem to be capable of giving me a straight answer." Her mother just smiled and walked over to the vanity, where she pulled out of a drawer a magnificent necklace.  
  
"That lady, Jumari, told me that this was in here. She wanted you to wear it for the wedding." Chihiro looked at it in awe.  
  
"Are they real?" she asked breathlessly. Her mother nodded.  
  
"She assured me that each of these diamonds is indeed real, and that in our world just one would be enough to replace the backing for the currency in the ten richest countries. I guess it's some kind of tradition for witches and sorceresses to wear this necklace when they are married to remind the lucky young man that there is nothing in this world or the next that is of greater value than the young women standing in front of them." She smiled at Chihiro. "I must say, I agree with that totally."  
  
The door opened and Zenniba entered, carrying with her a magnificent bouquet of flowers that glistened with what appeared to be dew on them.  
  
"I just wanted to give these to you real quick before the wedding," she said. Chihiro nodded and took them, sniffing them delicately. A dreamy look crossed her face.  
  
"They smell like heaven!" she exclaimed, looking at Zenniba. "Thank you so much!"  
  
Chihiro's mom looked at her once again. "Now, dear, tell me a little bit about this Haku. Just what kind of a boy is he?"  
  
"Oh, he's wonderful!" Chihiro breathed, gazing off into the distance. "He's kind, gentle, sweet, and a hopeless romantic. He's exactly the sort of person that I've always felt was just right for me."  
  
"And how long have you known him?" she asked.  
  
"A long, long time. We met back when I was about ten. That was the first time, and we've been friends ever since. Just recently things started getting more serious, and only a little while ago he proposed." Once again a dreamy look crossed her face. "It was the most wonderful moment of my life. I never expected it, and then all of the sudden there was the ring, and he was asking me. I was thrilled. I had hoped, but never dared to expect him to. He didn't seem like the sort of person to just up and propose without any warning."  
  
"Do you think that he'll ever hurt you or betray you?"  
  
"Oh, mom. You know as well as I do that we're going to have our misunderstandings in the future. There's no way for us to completely prevent that. The important thing is that we'll never let anything come between the love that we have for each other."  
  
"Well, you sound like you're going to be very happy with him, dear. I have to get back to the hall to keep setting up decorations, so you just stay in here and keep getting ready." Her mother leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you more than you'll ever know, and just want you to be happy. Who knows. Maybe this Haku can give you that." She smiled at her daughter, then walked out of the room, leaving Chihiro alone to her thoughts.  
  
*~*  
  
Haku was in his room, pacing around like a caged animal. He had exchanged his normal tunic for a magnificent golden-threaded one, and he caught himself wondering what Chihiro was going to be wearing. He then realized that it didn't matter. No matter what she was wearing, she would still be the most beautiful girl in the world to his eyes. Nothing could possibly take away from her stunning beauty.  
  
Sitting on the bed in his room were Link and Nami, who were watching him with laughter in their eyes.  
  
"You really need to calm down Haku. You look like you're expecting the world to end at any moment." Link looked very much like he was about to burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.  
  
"Ah, shut up," Haku told him, he did, however, stop pacing and sat down in one of the chairs. "I'm just really, really nervous."  
  
"What, and you think that that isn't natural?" asked Nami. "Listen, when me and my mate started going together, I was nervous, but you just have to learn to deal. If you let your nervousness control your actions, you'll never be with the people that you love. Shoot, we all know that Sky originally was a nervous wreck when Jumari decided that they ought to further their relationship, and look where it got him. A hundred and fifty years of wandering all throughout the spirit world, trying to find his identity. Is that what you want, rather than to be with Chihiro?"  
  
"Of course not!" Haku exclaimed. "I'm just not sure if this is what she wants. What if she's just doing this because she wants to hurt me?"  
  
"Listen to me, Haku," Link said. "Chihiro would never do something like that to you, simply because of the very fact that she DOES love you. I've seen it every time I look into her eyes. She loves you more than anything else in the world, and it would kill her if you were to back out now. Plus, I doubt that her parents would take to kindly to it."  
  
Even as he said the words, the door opened and Chihiro's father walked in.  
  
"I'm sorry to be disturbing you all, but do you think that I could have a moment alone with my future son in law?" he asked. The two young men sitting on the bed nodded and left the room, shutting the door as they went. Once outside, they pressed their ears up against the door so that they could hear what was going on.  
  
"So, tell me a little about yourself. What exactly do you do for a living?" Chihiro's father looked at Haku intently as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from Haku, who had stood up when he had entered the room.  
  
"Well, right now I sort of work in this bath house as the right hand man of the owner. It's good hard work, but it's fun. Not to mention that there are certain perks. Like meeting your daughter, for example."  
  
"I don't remember Chihiro ever going to a bath house before. . ." Chihiro's father scratched his head in confusion. "Never mind. So, once you're married, you think that you can support her?"  
  
"Well, yeah. I mean, now that she's a sorceress, it's her duty to spend the first four years after her original training wandering throughout the Spirit World helping out wherever she's needed. As her husband, and a sorcerer in my own right, it's my duty to go with her and protect her whenever I can."  
  
"What exactly do you mean by protect?"  
  
"Well, there are a lot of evil and wicked spirits out there, so if she's going to be safe, she needs someone she can trust to come with her and watch out for her. There used to be a time here in the spirit world where you could just walk and stay wherever you wanted with no fear of attack, but, unfortunately, those days came to an end a long time ago."  
  
"So, you're saying that she's going to be in danger wherever she goes?" The tone in his voice was one of warning.  
  
"Well, she'll be perfectly fine as long as she stays close to me and allows me to protect her."  
  
Chihiro's father nodded, then rose to his feet and walked toward the door. "You'll do fine," he said, then opened it and jumped back as Link and Nami fell into the room.  
  
"Ummmm. . . hello?" Nami said, smiling up at them sweetly. Haku clapped his head over his eyes in embarrassment. Chihiro's dad (in case you couldn't tell already, I haven't the time to bother looking for his name) stepped over them and walked out of the room.  
  
"So, how did it go?" Link asked, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.  
  
"What, couldn't you hear clearly enough?" Haku looked at him, a smile on his face.  
  
"No, sadly enough, he kept his voice low enough that Nami's panting completely drowned it out."  
  
"Well, he just asked me a few questions, I answered, and then he said that I'd do fine. Then he left and you two made complete and utter fools of yourselves."  
  
"It's actually a pretty short trip for him," Nami muttered, pointing at Link, who was on him instantly.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing. So, I guess that means that he's going to let you marry Chihiro?"  
  
"It seems that way." Haku got up and straightened his tunic. "I'm going to go see how Chihiro's doing." He made as if he was going to leave the room, only to find it blocked by Nami and Link, who then proceeded to force him back into the chair he had just left.  
  
"Listen, there's an old legend that says it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. You don't want to curse this whole thing now, do you?" There was a twinkle in Nami's eyes as he spoke.  
  
"Fine. Let's go down to the grand hallway and see if the archmage is here." Together they opened the door and left the room, closing it behind them.  
  
*~*  
  
Down in the great hall, a flurry of activity had caught the eye of a mysterious figure dressed in a black cloak. The figure was perched up on the vaulted ceiling amongst the statues, and as a result was near impossible to see from the floor. However, nothing escaped the eye of this unknown entity. Eyes filled with malice watched each and every coming and going, taking note of each of the many guests and where they were seated. Sitting in the front row, right next to the treacherous Yubaba was a magnificent apparition in a dark purple robe with a flowing golden collar and a golden belt. On her head was a glittering tiara.  
  
Far beneath the figure, the activity had stopped and now figures of spirits were filing in. They had come from far and wide to witness the marriage of one of the most eligible bachelors in the spirit world to one of the greatest legends in history. There wasn't a single person in the Spirit world who didn't know all about how Chihiro had managed to outwit the sorceress Yubaba and escape herself, along with her parents. Now, she had grown up, but that didn't stop or stem their interest in her one bit. She was a legend, and as a result, there was going to be standing room only in the massive hall that could have easily seated five hundred. All of the spirits from the bath house were there, as well as everyone that Chihiro had met while staying with Zenniba, and many others that had simply heard of her and wanted to see her for themselves.  
  
Once everyone had taken their seats, a tall and handsome man walked down the steps into the great hall. He bore is handsome figure well, and carried in one hand a staff with a magnificent sapphire imbedded in the tip. He wore black robes with golden symbols embroidered throughout, and wore his hair back in a long ponytail. His face looked like it had been chiseled out of stone; it was sharp and angular, and his eyes were a magnificent shade of blue.  
  
He was the archmage.  
  
As he entered, the whispers in the room died down until there was a tense and expectant silence. The archmage paused at the bottom of the stairs, then proceeded to walk swiftly down the aisle in the middle of the room to the raised platform at the opposite end. He walked up the stairs, then stopped at the top and turned around, facing the audience, who were practically holding their breaths in anticipation. He raised an arm and motioned back to the stairs he had just come from. Everyone turned around to watch as Haku, walking stiffly and just a little too fast, descended the stairs and crossed to the platform. Once he was on, the archmage once again motioned, and Link, Nami, and Knoma came out and also walked across to the platform. The moment that they were set, the archmage gestured for the organ to start playing, and it began, on it's own without anyone playing it, to play the wedding march.  
  
First, Zenniba and Rin came down, walking slowly but with huge grins on their faces. Zenniba proceeded to snap her fingers very discreetly, and suddenly they were walking amidst a blizzard of lily petals that fluttered down from the ceiling above them. Within minutes, they too were in their spots on the platform.  
  
At the top of the stairs, a magnificent angel in white appeared. Seeming as to be descending from the heavens to come down to earth, the figure slowly but steadily came down, taking each step as though it were the most important step ever taken in the history of the world.  
  
In a way, it was.  
  
No one could see the face of the stunning young woman; for her veil was covering her face, but they had no doubt that it was the very same little girl who had once, with the help of a few friends, managed to outwit Yubaba. She continued on, seeming to be borne upon the winds that kept the flower petals swirling around her, until she came to the platform, where she daintily ascended, and the music softly died down and then disappeared.  
  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here. . ."  
  
Through a seeming whirlwind of love and emotion, the archmage painted upon the canvas of eternity a perfect, flawless picture of the two lovers, standing before each other, with nothing else in the world mattering except for their love that they held. As he spoke, it seemed as though a spell had rested over the entire room, everyone basking in the glory that they could feel, each and every spirit remembering fondly the many times that they too had felt something like this.  
  
Perhaps it was the fact that the two youngsters were sorcerers, or perhaps it was just that their love was more perfect than anyone else's, but had they been screaming out about their love, it could have no greater effect than the sight of the two of them standing there, holding onto each other as though if they let go, the other would vanish forever.  
  
"Haku, do you take Chihiro to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"And do you, Chihiro, take Haku to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for all eternity?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Then by the power vested in me by the high council of mages for the spirit world, I now pronounce you. . ."  
  
He never got any farther. With a mighty blast that shook the very foundations of the tower, a huge fireball came hurtling down from the ceiling. Haku grabbed Chihiro and dove off the platform, narrowly escaping the blast that consumed the archmage. As the hall filled with the screams of the spirits gathered there, a figure hurled toward the ground, stopping just short of crashing into it and hovered there, the fire licking up at it but never touching.  
  
"Haku, I am here to bring to you divine retribution for the crimes that you have committed against the people of the land of Kanrika." Having said this, the figure, revealed by the voice to be female, raised a hand and flung another fireball at the would-be couple lying on the floor. Haku and Chihiro, acting as one, as if they knew what the other was thinking, threw up a barrier that just barely managed to deflect the blast, sending it shooting into a thick group of spirits. Suddenly, another blast, this time of bluish colored lightning struck the figure from behind, and paper birds then surrounded the figure and began to slice away at it. The robes that cloaked her fell open to reveal magnificent armor, as well as a pale white face, green eyes, and long golden hair reaching down almost to her waist. Haku noticed with a start that her ears were pointed.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded, but rather than wait for an answer, he transformed into a dragon and flung himself at her, only to be thrown back into a broken heap against one of the stone columns. Chihiro screamed his name and raced over to where he was lying, only to be pulled to her feet and lifted up in front of the cold and unfeeling face.  
  
"So, you're the one that he loves so much. Well, then, I suppose that the best way to hurt him is to steal that which matters most."  
  
She picked Chihiro up and then raced with inhuman speed to the door, throwing it open and sending one last, huge blast into the tower, then flew off high into the sky, vanishing amongst the clouds.  
  
Yubaba staggered over to a pew and leaned against it.  
  
{Damn you, Keetra.}  
  
TBC  
  
*~*  
  
Now, to thank all my reviewers:  
  
Sailor Helios, who has not reviewed this fic in particular- Thank you so much for putting me on your list of favorites! When someone does that, I feel really, very honored, so thanks.  
  
FuzzyFanFicFreak- thank you so much for giving me my first real review on this story. You were the first, which is a wonderful distinction to have. However, you were by no means the last.  
  
No Name- thanks for your review as well, it was uplifting, and whenever I didn't feel like updating, I was always able to go back to it and get encouragement, despite the shortness. Thanks again.  
  
Sachairi- Wow, you are my second most faithful reviewer and the only one so far that took the time to check out my other fics, telling me honestly what you thought about them. Thank you so much! You made me smile when I read them, and allowed me to get that extra push that I often needed to write the next chapter. I very much look forward to each of your reviews, and I intend to check out your story, which I will review the first chance I get. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!  
  
Keetra- You're at the end for a reason. Not because I think the least of your ideas, in fact, just the opposite. In fact, it's because of your faithfulness that I decided what I did about the end of the chapter. I've had that in my mind for some time now, and the voting gave me the perfect opportunity to put you in. Now, you have a major role in here, and who knows, you might just get some weird things going on! You are easily my most faithful reviewer, and I have always welcomed with open arms your comments and suggestions. You've been honest, kind, funny, and just always there, and for that, you deserve an infinite amount of thanks. Every time I update, I spend the next couple of days eagerly awaiting your feedback, if for no other reason than to get a good laugh. I must say that after reading your stories, I've come to the conclusion that you are a better writer than me, and if anything else, I will always enjoy reading each and every one of your stories an infinite number of times. Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin, and I'm so sorry that it took me this long to get this last chapter up. And yes, of course, this is a TBC. Please don't kill me. I truly believe that as long as friends, no matter how distant, stick together, the world will be a better place, and as we walk into the future, we can share the compassion that we have for one another to everyone else we meet. : )  
  
So, that's it for Pools of Torment.  
  
Writing always for Christ's glory:  
  
Dante/TME/Brian/Isildri 


End file.
